House Rules
by Soliloquiz
Summary: Can a famous actor and an ordinary woman learn to love each other in a marriage agreed upon only on a paper?WAY BETTER summary inside! TxG
1. Chapter 1

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Disclaimer: We don't own High School Musical or Full House so don't sue :P

**Authors' note: Hey guys, this is our first team project, so we hope that you'll like it. Review please!**

**Full summary: After coming back from a trip to England that her best friends paid for, Gabriella Montez finds out that they did so only to sell her house while she was away. She returns and finds that the new owner of the house is none other than famous actor Troy Bolton, whom she happened to meet on her trip. Circumstances bring Troy and Gabriella into a marriage by contract, making them appear as a couple to the public. Under the terms of the contract, they will be married for 6 months while Gabriella does all the housework. After 6 months, she will get the house back. Gabriella finds herself falling for Troy, but he loves his childhood friend, Sharpay. Troy's friend, Ryan also shows an interest in Gabriella. Many interesting and amusing things happen to this "couple" throughout their married life that bring them closer together, but will they really become a couple?**

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Chapter one

Gabriella Montez always believed that money is the only thing lonely people, like herself, can trust… but it's hard to trust money when there's none.

"…and then she looked into is mesmerizing eyes and felt like… uhm…" Gabriella sighed and rubbed her forehead in frustration. To say she was tired was an understatement. There were huge bags under her eyes and her hair looked like it hasn't been washed in weeks. While putting her hair in a messy bun, she contemplated on her next words as she leaned against her chair.

Her dream job was to be a well-known writer ever since she read 'Pride and Prejudice' for the first time. However, her dream job didn't really work out as she planned it. She was a writer alright, but the stack of bills on her coffee table showed that the "well-known" part didn't quite come yet. She was talented and dedicated. But sometimes talent and dedication just aren't enough.

"She could swim in them forever and not drown." She sat up straight and started writing furiously on her laptop. Her stray of ideas got caught when the doorbell rang. Annoyed about the interruption, she stomped to the door and opened the it with force, fully prepared to yell at the person who dared to disturb her during her working time, only to come face to face with her two best friends, Chad and Taylor.

"What the hell are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on your honeymoon and being all lovey-dovey with each other?" Gabriella asked them in annoyance.

"Well it's great to see you too Gabby," said Chad while he invited himself into the living room, pulling a grinning Taylor with him.

"Why don't you come in." Gabriella exclaimed sarcastically as she slammed the door shut. "Make yourselves at home." She added, after Chad put his legs on **her** coffee table. "Why are you here exactly?" she asked after she sat herself across the married couple whom she often referred to as her best friends.

"We came here to tell you great news! Two actually!" Taylor informed her in an excited voice. "Guess what!"

"Oh for Christ's sake! Just tell me already. I don't have time for this!" Gabriella hissed as her level of patience rapidly decreased by each second.

"Fine! No need to be moody! We won a lottery!" yells Chad. "Isn't that great?"

"Wait, it gets even better! We decided to go on a trip to England! The three of us! Just like old days!" Taylor excitedly told Gabriella who was just staring at her two friends in disbelief, the new piece of information just slowly sinking in.

"Are you freaking serious?" She asked after whole 5 minutes of digesting what her friends just said. "Going to England with you guys when I can hardly manage to pay the bills for this house? Never gonna happen."

"Oh come on Gabby, you know you want to. Besides we will pay everything for you!" Pleaded Chad "When was the last time you had some fun and saw new places?"

"Actually…..never." informed Gabriella hesitating a bit while thinking about her bills, work and the offer.

"And most probably never will if you continue to stay at home writing your stories." Piped in Taylor observing her friend.

"Why don't you think about it while you get us something to eat, because I am starved." Suggested Chad.

"When aren't you?" asked Gabriella in a mocking voice, her mood visibly better than when she opened the door. Still, she got up and walked into the kitchen to prepare something for her friends. Meanwhile, Taylor and Chad looked at each other nervously.

"Are you sure this is going to work out?" asked Taylor in whisper.

"It has to! We need to do this!" Chad whispered back and cleared his throat as Gabriella walked back into the room with a tray of snacks for the ever hungry Chad.

"England huh?" She said in thoughts while she put the tray on the table and sat back into her seat.

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Troy Bolton always did his utmost not to hurt other people and not to hurt himself. However, being the big movie star he was, scandals and rumours were unavoidable.

"How can you explain this?" Harry, Troy Bolton's currently angry manager exclaimed while throwing People's Magazine on the table. The cover showing no other movie star than Troy Bolton himself standing very close to another guy, too close some would say, while resting his hand on the guy's shoulder and whispering something into his ear. The headlines screamed **Troy Bolton and his secret lover?**

"So what? It's just a photo. No big deal, besides nothing happened there." Troy informed in a cold yet calm voice, which seemed to anger the manager even more. His face became dangerously red, almost turning purple.

"No big deal? NO BIG DEAL?" screamed Harry "the whole fucking world thinks you are gay! Even Bruno called me this morning! He wants your phone number!"

"Who the heck is Bruno?" asked Troy amused. It's not that he didn't care what people thought about him, but the fact that there were so many stupid rumours that didn't even make sense seemed funny to him. It also didn't help that he had problems expressing himself and his emotions.

"That's not important, what is important though, is the new movie you will be shooting soon. You will be leaving for England in three days so prepare yourself would you? Also expect even more paparazzi and a possible press conference."

With that Harry picked up his coat and headed to the door of the hotel room where Troy was staying. Yes, Troy Bolton didn't have a house, yet. Not that he was homeless because his parents had a big house back in Albuquerque, New Mexico. However, he was constantly on move. Shooting movies all around the world and always starting new projects, Troy didn't see much sense in buying an apartment in LA just yet if it was left empty for most of the time. That, however, didn't mean he didn't want to have a house. In fact, he was already looking, his personal assistant Tracy was looking, to be exact, for a house in a secluded area in LA where he could get a bit of privacy. After all, he couldn't live in hotels for the rest of his life no matter how comfortable it was. He didn't want an apartment in the middle of the town, not in the main suburbs in Beverly Hills either because he didn't want to run into his costars or other famous people constantly.

Sighing, Troy stood up from the couch and went into his bathroom to take a shower while thinking about his upcoming movie he was shooting in England. England meant rain and even more rain. He was already mentally preparing a list of things he would need to pack into his suitcase to bring onto the plane. All the other things he would leave in the hotel room and later on, Tracy would come up, pack it all and send to his parents where most of his belongings were. Until he'd buy a house anyway.

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"So remember, you will go to England first and we will meet you there right after we go and visit Chad's mother." Taylor told Gabriella while handing her the airplane ticket. Gabriella decided to go to England in the end. She couldn't wait to get there as it was her dream to visit Cambridge and many other historical landmarks that she read about in High School. So while Chad pigged out on her fridge, she sorted everything out for the trip. She even went shopping with Taylor for new clothes. Although, she couldn't believe that her best friends would pay for her trip and all the expenses, she still pushed her doubt to the back of her head and focused on the upcoming weeks of total bliss.

"Why can't I wait for you and we could go to England together?" asked Gabriella for the hundredth time in the past two days. She didn't like the fact that Chad and Taylor decided to send her to England on her own few days before them because they had to go and visit Chad's sick mother. For someone who haven't left their hometown since birth, being in a foreign country and continent all alone was a scary thought.

"Because we don't want you to hold back on the sightseeing, this way you will be able to see more and not have to face our lovey-dovey mood every single day. You will have about 4 days without us reminding you every single moment that you need a boyfriend." Informed Chad casually which earned him a hard smack on the head from Taylor. "Hey! Be careful! My afro will be damaged" yelped Chad in pain while rearranging his hair into it's normal "shape".

Taylor only rolled her eyes in response and said "Don't worry Gabby, four days are nothing. You will enjoy it! Now go before you miss your flight." As soon as she finished the sentence, bunch of screaming girls were seen together with even more paparazzi and man dressed in black. Bodyguards? The paparazzi were screaming questions while snapping away on their expensive black cameras and the girls were running around the group, standing on their toes, trying to get a peek at the star that was currently the center of attention of the airport.

A pair of teenage girl were walking past the three curious friends when one of them screamed and started running towards the big group. "OMG! It's Troy Bolton!" which of course caused her friend and even more people to run towards the star while Gabriella only winced in pain while being completely convinced that she had just gone deaf.

"Oh, I heard that he was heading to England too. Apparently shooting another movie." Informed them Chad casually, not seeing why most of the people went crazy over some dude that filmed few movies about basketball. Yes, Chad adored basketball, but he was convinced that all those "matches" in the movie were fake and that he could take on the star-wanna-be-basketball-player any day. After all, he was the obsessed with the sport to the point where it took Taylor almost 4 years to convince him to put down his precious basketball and leave it at home.

"Yea, that's great. Now I will miss the plane because Mr. Big star there appeared. I think I better get going! See you in a few days guys." Gabriella tried to cover for her embarrassment after realizing that she had been staring at the group for a while and kind of drooling. She picked up her carry on bag while heading to the check in counter, giving Chad and Taylor a small wave. When all the administrations were done, Gabriella walked through the security place and went to find her boarding gate.

When stepping on the plane, she was greeted by the stewardess who showed her to her seat. Chad and Taylor were even kind enough to pay for a first class seat. Gabriella was excited but nervous as hell. She had never traveled by a plane and didn't particularly feel good when thinking that she was basically giving the pilot her life for the next 12 hours or so. Finally after walking a very short distance, Gabriella found her seat and sat down. She was busy putting her passport and ticket away and getting herself comfortable, she didn't notice anyone sitting beside her until a voice spoke.

"Excuse me miss, but what do you think you are doing?" Gabriella froze at what she was doing and slowly looked up to the owner of the voice, only to be met by a pair of electrifying blue eyes.

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A/N: So this is the first chapter guys. Hope you liked it, we know nothing really happened, but this was more of an introduction. PLEASE REVIEW! 3


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey everyone! We noticed a lot of ppl put this story on their alert list, BUT there r lyk NO review! Btw.. thanx to the ppl who took time and reviewed, it means soo much to us! Anyway, here it the new chapter:**

**Disclaimer: We don't own High School Musical nor anything mentioned here except for the plot!**

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Chapter 2

_Previously:_

"_Excuse me miss, but what do you think you are doing?" Gabriella froze at what she was doing and slowly looked up to the owner of the voice, only to be met by a pair of electrifying blue eyes. _

If anyone had asked Gabriella, what her favourite colour was about 2 hours ago, she would say black but now, she wasn't so sure anymore. Now she would probably tell you that it was between black and blue. Not just any blue colour though. This blue colour, she had only seen once in her lifetime. About 5 seconds ago.

Gabriella was so mesmerized by that blue colour that she didn't even notice the owner still waiting for her response. "I..uhm…I…" she tried to figure out how to speak English again. Yea **that's **how blue those eyes were.

"Are you incapable of talking or what?" asked the impatient owner. That's when Gabriella snapped out of her trans-like state and managed to look at the person carefully. He, yea a male, had sandy blond hair that were quite short but long enough to reach his eyes. Again, his eyes…God they were gorgeous, but moving on. He had quite handsome features now that she thought about it properly. Gabriella swore he was familiar, put couldn't quite put a finger on it. So she decided to answer him instead of musing where she saw him before.

"Actually, I can talk just fine and this happens to be my seat." She informed him and casually sat down while taking out the airplane manual from the pocket on the back of the seat in front of her.

"What? No, I always sit by myself, always! There has to be a mistake somewhere." Troy yelped out while looking around frantically for the flight attendant. When he finally spotted her and called her over he started to talk in a loud voice, not caring that Gabriella was actually there right next to him, being able to hear everything. "Miss! Miss! Excuse me, but this person thinks she can sit next to me! I always sit by myself! Get her out of here!" Person? She was a girl alright so she would like to be acknowledged as one. Not being called a person! What's the difference between being called a "person" and outright a "thing"? In her books it was the same. So Gabriella scoffed loudly and turned to the guy.

"Who the hell do you think you are? This is my seat and I will sit in it. If you don't like it the you can move." She said to him while the flight attendant's eyes grew slightly bigger at her outburst. The guy wasn't able to say anything, only gaped at her. _Maybe he just wasn't used to people treating him like that._ She thought and was quite satisfied.

"I am so sorry Mr. Bolton but it seems like the whole first class is full and there are simply no other free seats." Woman said to him and scurried down the isle pretty fast right afterwards. Wait. Mr. Bolton? As in…

"Troy Bolton?!" yelped Gabriella loudly and immediately covered her mouth with her hand while looking around seeing no one really paid her little outburst any attention except for one person. And that person was sitting right next to her, who also happened to be the one mentioned.

"Did you expect someone else?" smirked Troy in satisfaction that the bizarre woman finally knew who he is.

"uhm…no…yea…uhm…" mumbled Gabriella while her cheeks turned red with embarrassment.

"Yup, woman often find themselves speechless in my presence." Said Troy cockily while enjoying the whole situation. Afterwards he immediately turned to the window and completely ignored her. Weird.

"Jerk." Gabriella mumbled while still feeling a little bit nervous around the big star. Her attention was, however, immediately turned to the complementary packet of peanuts that the flight attendants handed out. Troy refused his while Gabriella ripped open the package with excitement and immediately stated chewing on them while waiting for all the passengers to settle.

The package of peanuts didn't last very long and the attendants were just going around making sure everything was in place so the plane could take off. As the plane started moving, Gabriella's fear came back and she began to clutch the rests of the seats so hard, her knuckles began to turn white. While Gabriella was focusing on her breathing exercises, Troy was watching the woman with an amused expression.

After the take off, which included Gabriella breathing even more loudly that some would think she was giving birth, the plane finally got high enough for the passengers to be able to turn on their electronic devices. Gabriella however couldn't do anything as she began to feel somewhat uncomfortable. Her stomach didn't feel so good either and she began to curse the packet of peanuts she ate earlier. Ignoring her stomach, she closed her eyes praying for sleep. This came soon after due to the lack of sleep she had from previous days.

Her sleep didn't last very long as the plane passed an area with high turbulence and the plane shook a bit. The sick feeling from the stomach only increased and Gabriella couldn't even open her eyes fully before all of the contents in her stomach flew out of her mouth.

".God" was all that Gabriella could manage to say when she saw where her lunch landed. Along with _Fuck, fuck, fuck _that seemed to be on repeat in her head.

Troy Bolton had been in the spotlight since he was a kid and was therefore used to high standards when it came to living. So if you asked him what was the most disgusting thing that has ever happened to him, he would have probably told you about the one time he had to use public toilets when he was small, as that was the only thing that he could come up with. However, public toilets were not as disgusting as what he had to face now and, truthfully, Troy would rather go use the public toilets for the rest of his life instead of being in the position he was currently in. With puke all over his shirt.

"What the fuck?!" Troy roared out as he stared at his shirt, now newly decorated with yellowish colour. Not to mention the smell that seemed to rise straight to his nose. "You puked on me woman!" Troy yelled at Gabriella in shock.

Gabriella couldn't do anything but stare. Her body was frozen and she could feel all the eyes in First class section on her. What was she supposed to do now? What do people usually say when they puke on other people?

"I am so sorry!" she squeaked out and immediately started to look for tissues in her purse. "Let me clean it for you." She said in a stronger voice as she started to clean the shirt and started explaining. "I didn't mean t.." However, she was cut off my Troy's arm violently smacking her hand away while growling.

"Don't. Touch. Me" He chocked out while breathing soundly through his nose, trying to calm himself down. That, of course, only brought out even more of that offensive smell and Troy had to control himself not to puke as will. Maybe he could direct it in **her** direction...

Instead Troy carefully lifted his shirt over his head, trying not to get any of that "substance" on his skin and threw it on the floor right in front of Gabriella. She could only stare in shock at his biceps and visible six pack underneath the white wife beater. She swallowed heavily and looked at the shirt at her feet. She then pulled out a paper bag and stuffed the shirt into it.

"What the hell are you doing?" asked Troy, still sounding angry. Who wouldn't be if they got puke all over them right?

"What do you think I am doing? I am taking it so I can clean it later." Gabriella replied while putting the paper bag into her purse. Then she took her headphones out and turned to watch the TV as if nothing had happened and she didn't just puke all over a famous movie star. Troy couldn't help but gape at her while questioning her mental state. After a while he signed in surrender and turned to his own TV which was currently showing one of his older movies.

The rest of the flight passed with neither of them acknowledging the other and the only time they spoke was to the flight attendants to get foods or drinks. Finally, when the plane landed in London, Gabriella stood up to get out of there. After more than 10 hours on plane, she couldn't wait to get back to the firm land, even if it was in a different country.

Gabriella was currently standing and waiting for her luggage to arrive when she noticed Troy walking past in a new shirt, with a grey beanie over his head and aviator sunglasses as a cover from being recognized. She smirked while thinking that it was a pretty lame cover considering no one actually wears sunglasses indoor so he was standing out even more. A sudden thought cross her mind and she started running towards him.

"Troy! Troy! Wait!" She yelled while running towards him. Troy visibly stiffed and stopped walking while cursing whoever was blowing his cover. When Gabriella finally reached him she bent over to catch her breath. After all, she was never into sports that much back in high school. Troy just looked over his shoulder not fully turning around to face her as if she wasn't worth his full attention. _How rude_ Gabriella thought while straightening up again, frowning slightly.

"I just wanted to know where you are staying so I could give you back your shirt. Clean of course." She said while waiting for his response. Troy didn't say anything as if contemplating whether or not to tell her. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to Gabriella, he opened his mouth to talk.

"Why, so you could go and stalk me or tell the paparazzi? No thank you." With that he left a gaping Gabriella and walked away to the gates only to be greeted but bodyguards and many flashlights going off as the paparazzi snapped away their pictures.

Gabriella couldn't believe it. She was trying to be nice to him and all that she gets back is a stupid remark from that jerk. With a huff she walked back to the luggage line and picked up her suitcase that appeared while she was talking to Troy, if that could be classified as talking. Walking out the same gates Troy was a while ago, she started looking around for her tour guide that was supposed to be waiting for her with her return ticket and spending money. That was weird. Taylor specifically told her that there will be someone waiting for her. Gabriella decided to sit down and wait for the person who was probably just late due to traffic or something like that.

About 3 hours passed and Gabriella slowly realized no one was coming to pick her up. With a sigh she took out a piece of paper that had her hotel information and went outside to find a cab. Maybe they just forgot that she was coming or something like that. She even tried calling Taylor and then Chad but both of their phones were unavailable. She would have to wait till they got there to tell them about the incident. Meanwhile the cab stopped in front of a luxurious hotel, _The Four Seasons_ it said. _Fucking hell! Taylor and Chad put her in Four Seasons! _Gabriella thought in awe. The hotel was gorgeous and she was mentally thanking her friends and noting to herself to give them big hugs when they arrived.

Her happiness was short lived though. When Gabriella arrived at the reception, a woman behind the desk greeted her. She was quite tall, red haired with an even redder lipstick. She had a name tag which said _Gretchen. _Who the hell named their kid "Gretchen" anyway? Her hair was done very precisely and her smile looked a very uncomfortable. As if she didn't really want to smile but she had to. Yeah, that was probably the case.

"Hello and welcome to The Four Seasons' s. How may I help you?" Gretchen said. Her voice was even more irritating and weird than her name. Sad.

"Hi, I have a reservation under Montez." Answered Gabriella in a polite voice waiting patiently as the receptionist clicked away on her computer. Suddenly Gretchen's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she began typing on the keyboard.

"uhm…is something wrong?" asked Gabriella nervously. What the heck was happening?

"There appear to be no reservations under the name Montez, I'm sorry." Said Gretchen while looking at the young woman in front of her sympathetically. At least as sympathetically as someone named Gretchen can.

"What? How about Danforth?" said Gabriella immediately, panic setting in her veins. First the tour guide, now the hotel? Not to mention the Troy Bolton incident. This was so not her day.

"Sorry, no Danforth either."

"Wait, how about McKessie?" Gabriella chocked out her panic mode in full speed now.

"I'm sorry, but there are simply no reservations for you." answered Gretchen after even more typing and clicking. Gabriella was now having a panic attack and thinking about what to do next.

"There must be a mistake of some kind. Check again."

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Ryan Evans was always the winner, and he was determined to remain one for the rest of his life. He was good-looking guy who possessed sophisticated manners and was very eloquent – a prince charming that any girl could ever dream of. That's why he couldn't help but notice the girl who was currently arguing with the receptionist and looking like she could pass out sometime soon.

Ryan walked into the Four Seasons planning on visiting his friend from America that just arrived that day. Also talk to him about some of his upcoming projects. You see, Ryan Evans was not only a good looking guy, he was also the director of a large media company. He came to the reception where he noticed the poor girl, woman, rather. She was close to tears and almost yelling at the receptionist, Gretchen was on her nametag. Ryan thought to himself, that he would, too, be close to tears if he had to talk to someone named Gretchen.

"Is there a problem?" asked a male voice right behind Gabriella. She turned around and saw a tall, blonde haired guy with green eyes looking at her kindly. What was with her and guys today? All of the ones she met so far had great eyes! So unfair.

"Uhm, no. Everything is alright. Thank You" Gabriella mumbled and moved over so the guy could get to Gretchen. Gabriella took this time to think over her situation. How could she end up like this? She had no where to stay, her return plane ticket was no where in sight as was her spending money. Yea she still had quite a lot with her, but it was enough to last all 2 weeks. She only hoped Taylor and Chad would come soon and rescue her out of this distress. She was pondering over her thoughts when she suddenly heard the guy speak to the receptionist.

"Excuse me, but I am looking for Troy Bolton's room? I am his close friend." Said the guy. This caught Gabriella's attention. _Wait. That jerk was here too? Oh god." _

"Yes, Mr. Bolton is currently staying in Suite 1901." Answered Gretchen and turns her attention to the computer screen.

"Thank you." Answers Ryan and turns to look at Gabriella. "Good luck with your problems ms…" he trails off waiting for Gabriella to fill in the blank space.

"Montez. Gabriella Montez" Gabriella quickly answered and stuck her hand out.

"Ryan Evans. Nice to meet you." Ryan shook her hand.

"Thank you, you too." Gabriella managed to say before Ryan turned around and began walking towards the elevators to get him to Troy's room. _How can such a nice person be a close friend with that jerk is beyond me._ Mused Gabriella while gathering her things and walking out of the hotel. She decided to stay in a cheaper hotel right across the street from Four Season.

After Gabriella settled a bit in her hotel room and took a long relaxing shower, she began to look in her purse for her phone to try and call Taylor or Chad again. While rummaging through her things, she noticed the paper bag from the plane and she immediately recognized it as the one containing the shirt she puked on. So she took it out and washed it. When she finished, she hung it up in the bathroom and went back to settle into her comfortable bed. Jet lag was slowly catching up on her and she was more than grateful for the bed. She was mentally and physically tired, not to mention her two best friends still didn't pick up their phones.

The next few days should be very interesting for Gabriella, was her last thought before she drifted into a deep slumber.

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A/N: So this is the second chapter done… we just HAD to post it soon. :P PLEASE review. It helps us write faster and encourages us to carry on because it's not a complete waste of time.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanx for reviewing. Although some people still don't, come on, it takes lyk wat? A minute? Click on it and write something. Really… Anyway! Hope you will enjoy this chapter! Soliloquiz**

**Disclaimer: We don't own High School Musical nor anything mentioned here except for the plot! And maybe not even the plot…**

**Chapter 3**

_Previously:_

"_Montez. Gabriella Montez" Gabriella quickly answered and stuck her hand out._

"_Ryan Evans. Nice to meet you." Ryan shook her hand._

"_Thank you, you too." Gabriella managed to say before Ryan turned around and began walking towards the elevators to get him to Troy's room__. __How can such a nice person be a close friend with that jerk is beyond me.__ Mused Gabriella while gathering her things and walking out of the hotel. She decided to stay in a cheaper hotel right across the street from Four Seasons._

The relationship between Troy Bolton and Ryan Evans was something that couldn't be really defined. It was more than friendship, but it was less than brotherhood. The two had met when Ryan had moved with his family right next door to Troy's. They had gone to kindergarten, middle school, high school and basically their whole lives together. Some people would think those two were best friends, but they weren't. There was a constant rivalry between those two. Ryan would always win with academics, whereas Troy would always come on top with his basketball skills and ladies. There was always something those two could compete in, even if it was about who got to the school bus first, etc. Even though there were times when they were not exactly on speaking terms, they still kept in touch. That would explain why Ryan Evans visited Troy in his hotel room in England, stopping by for a chat.

What wouldn't their relationship explain, was the panic and shock struck expression on Troy's face after Ryan informed him that he would be returning to the States after his 2 years in England. Troy managed to mask his shock after the news and kept on talking to Ryan, who shortly afterwards left for a meeting. Now, however, the shock had appeared again. Not to mention the panic.

After sitting in the same position for about half an hour while toying with his mobile phone, Troy flipped it open and started scrolling down his Contact Addresses until he reached the number of a person he was looking for. _Sharpay Henney _(**A/N: She is not in any way related to Ryan ok?**)_. _Finally Troy noticed that he was staring at the name for about 5 minutes and decided to press the call button. However, as soon as the dial tone started, he closed his phone shut, thus ending the call. To say Troy was frustrated was an understatement. He was completely stressed and panicking at the moment. All that because of one stupid sentence that his dear friend Ryan Evans said. All because of him and a certain blonde that he was supposed to call less than a minute ago.

Sharpay Henney was a girl Troy had known since they were kids. Even before he had met Ryan Evans. She was also very close with his family as she had spent a lot of time in the Bolton household. After coming to LA to study fashion, Sharpay had become a quite well known designer and opened her own boutique. When Troy started his career at a very young age, she was the one who always kept him tied to the ground. Well as tied to the ground as anyone can be around Sharpay Henney anyway. She was the one who currently designed Troy's clothes and she wouldn't have it any other way. What's the problem you ask?

The problem is that Troy Bolton was in love with Sharpay, while she felt like they should be friends only.

Gabriella had spent the past few days in England sight seeing after she decided that all the misunderstandings and accidents wouldn't keep her from seeing all the beauties of London. Every night she would return to her hotel room completely exhausted by the activities from the day. She would use her last energy to try to call either Taylor or Chad but neither would pick up. She would use every single swearing word she knew and mean it towards them until she collapsed in the bed and slept would take over her.

The same routine already happened for the past 4 days and Gabriella figured that neither Taylor nor Chad was coming to England. She made a mental note to hunt them down and kill them. Not before she tortured them though. All the sightseeing and eating cost something and Gabriella soon found out that she had no money left. She was completely penniless and in a foreign country. Yipee!

Gabriella decided that she saw enough of England to last lifetime and that it was time to go back home. However, she didn't have money for the ticket so she was stuck in her hotel room until further notice. While pacing across the room while thinking, Gabriella spotted something on her balcony and stepped out. It was the shirt that she threw up on. She managed to wash it and it was already dry. Now she just needed to return it to Troy Bolton. A sudden idea popped into her head and she grabbed the shirt, her room keys, her purse and headed out across the street.

When she stepped into the hotel she immediately spotted Gretchen working at the reception desk again and decided to head to the elevators. If she remembered clearly, he was in suite 1901, so when she stepped into the elevator, she pressed the button 19 and waited.

Troy was currently getting out of the shower when the doorbell of his suite rang. Completely forgetting that he only had a towel wrapped around his body, Troy opened the door only to come face to face with a petite brunette who was staring at his lower part of the body in shock. Troy didn't understand why she was staring and looked down. With wide eyes he realized that the towel he had wrapped around his body was almost slipping down so he turned on his heels and sprinted back into his room.

Gabriella couldn't believe her eyes. Who the hell opened their door wearing nothing but a towel anyway? Now she was stuck with the image of his perfectly sculptured body, his stupid six pack and that little line of hair that that started from his belly button and led down to…. She caught herself before she could think further and started hitting her head against the wall in attempt to somehow delete all those thoughts from her head while she murmured to herself when she heard a chuckle and an amused voice.

"You know talking to yourself and hitting your head against the wall are the first signs of people going crazy?" Gabriella turned to him in surprise and immediately started blushing.

"Shut up." She mumbled while subconsciously noticing that he now changed to pair of dark washed jeans and a white V neck t shirt that, too, showed off his fabulous abs. Gabriella wanted to throw up when she realized that she used the word fabulous. What the heck was happening to her?

"Stop checking me out then and tell me who the heck are you and what do you want?" said Troy in a cocky voice which, once again, reminded Gabriella why she seriously hated him. But the comment really made her blush even more.

"Actually, I am Gabriella Montez and I came to return your shirt to you." Gabriella replied with a confident voice to show him that she was not intimidated in any way and partly because she wanted to mask her embarrassment, again. She pulled out his shirt which was neatly folded, out of her purse and handed it to him. Troy looked at it for a moment and his eyes widened in realization.

"You are the girl that puked at me in the plane right?" he asked in disgust while carefully taking his shirt from her hands. Surprisingly, though, it didn't smell of puke anymore. Instead it smelled like cheap hotel soap, but it was better than puke.

"Uhm, yea, that would be me." Answered Gabriella with hesitation, mentally slapping him for that disgusted face he just gave her. _Idiot._

"Well, uh, thanks. Bye." Said Troy while closing the door. Gabriella, however, remembered why she originally came here and quickly stuck her foot in between the door while yelping. "Wait!"

Troy groaned in frustration, what did that woman want this time?

"What do you want?" asked Troy in annoyance.

"Money" Gabriella answered bluntly while looking straight into his oh so blue eyes. This sent Troy into a shock. What?

"You want money for cleaning this shirt? Are you crazy woman?" Troy exclaimed. "It probably didn't cost you anything!"

"Let me rephrase that." Said Gabriella while taking a deep breath preparing herself to tell him the truth. "I am actually…Ryan Evans' girlfriend. I can't reach him right now and I need to get to the States as soon as possible. I don't have any money with me right now and he told me that if I needed anything, I could go to you." So much for telling him the truth she mused. Where the story came from, she didn't know, but if it will help her get home, who is she to object right?

"What? Ryan's girlfriend? He didn't say he has a girlfriend." Troy asked in shock. The girl that puked on him was his friend's girl? How did that happen? "And why the heck should I help you anyway? You are his responsibility now mine." Scoffed Troy at her plea, not only did he hate this girl, but she also meant that Ryan was currently winning in the relationship department and that was something that never happened to Troy.

"You don't understand. I need the money to go back home!" Gabriella said desperately.

"And why is that?"

"Because…uhm….I think…I might be pregnant!" _That's it! _Gabriella mentally made a winning dance as she found a solution. "The reason I puked on you was because of those morning sicknesses when a woman is pregnant. Don't you know that? I didn't know that but then I saw a movie few days ago and realized the possibility. Now I need to go back home to go to the hospital and all that stuff!"

"Preg…preg…pregnant?" Troy chocked out. Whoa! Another shock Ryan might be a dad!

"Yea, so you see. I need to go back and make sure. Then I can contact Ryan and we can go through it together." Gabriella nodded excitedly as if happy about the idea of being pregnant with someone she only shook hands with.

This made Troy think. If Gabriella was really pregnant, it would make Ryan win another unspoken competition between the two. He would be dad sooner than Troy, and even though Troy didn't want to have kids yet, the thought of Ryan winning again made him feel sick.

"…so I wanna go to the hospital, but if the tests are positive I think I might get an abortion because…" Gabriella continued to babble so her act seemed more real. Wait. Abortion? Troy saw this as a chance. If Gabriella got an abortion Ryan would be a dad and he wouldn't win. That would be good. But that means he had to give Gabriella money.

"Ok, I will give you money to go back home, just shut up." Troy cut Gabriella's babble as it was giving him a serious headache. While ushering her into the hotel room he couldn't help but notice Ryan had a pretty good taste. Not that he would choose her, because she puked on him and all…

Gabriella stepped out of Four Seasons with a huge grin on her face and tons of money in her pocket. If she ever got bored of being a writer, she could become an actress. If was fun and she did have some talent in it after all, she just got money from someone. She went back to her hotel, packed her belongings and paid. Afterwards, she headed to the airport where she booked the earliest flight back to LA and sat down and waited.

Troy Bolton still didn't know what happened but snapped out of it as soon as his phone started ringing.

"Talk to me." He answered in his usual style, not caring who the hell it was.

"Mr. Bolton. It's Tracy, I just wanted to call you to inform you that I have a house for you. It's big, secluded from the public, near the beach, about 7 bedroom and…." His assistant informed him into the phone.

"Just take it." Troy cut her and snapped the phone shut. He didn't care how it looked. It was spacious, near the beach and secluded. That's all he needed and if it was really ugly, he would just simply fire Tracy and find a new house. Now he just needed to get to the last photo shoot and he could get home tomorrow. To his brand new house.

"Home sweet home." Whispered Gabriella as she put her suitcases on the sidewalk in from of her beautiful house. She walked up to the door and pushed her keys into it and opened the door.

She walked into her living room fully prepared to settle on the comfortable couch and relax for a while before she started unpacking, only to find the room completely…

"EMPTY???" Gabriella shrieked out and dropped her suitcases and keyes while staring around in shock.

**A/N: That's chapter 3 people! Thanks for reading! Now please REVIEW! We would LOVE to hear your opinion! Criticism is welcomed too! Anything! 3 **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews people! Just a side note, we've been getting many emails about people adding our story on their Favourite List…BUT how does that work? Because if u dun put us in your Story alert, u will not know when we post another chapter rite? Anyway…thanx for that tho! Now onto the story!**

**Disclaimer: We don't own High School Musical nor anything mentioned here except for the plot! And maybe not even the plot…**

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**Chapter 4**

_Previously:_

"_Home sweet home." Whispered Gabriella as she put her suitcases on the sidewalk in from of her beautiful house. She walked up to the door and pushed her keys into it and opened the door._

_She walked into her living room fully prepared to settle on the comfortable couch and relax for a while before she started unpacking, only to find the room completely…_

"_EMPTY???" Gabriella shrieked out and dropped her suitcases and keys while staring around in shock._

Gabriella couldn't believe her eyes. Was she dreaming? Because this was one heck of a nightmare. How in the world, did she leave her house completely furnished to come home to nothing but walls?

A sudden noise was heard outside the front door and Gabriella was curious as to what made that sound. When she opened the door she spotted a big moving truck that just pulled over and 4 guys getting out all dressed in working uniforms.

"Excuse me, but what are you doing here?" asked Gabriella one of the nearest guys while looking at the other three that just opened the back doors of the vehicle.

"We are bringing the ordered furniture. Now where do you want it miss?" informed the guy while briskly walking to the truck and helping his friends pick up a huge sofa. Furniture? But she didn't order any. Why would anyone order new furniture for her? That was weird. Maybe some kind of a surprise from Taylor and Chad?

Deciding not to dwell on it anymore, Gabriella moved over so they could bring it all in. Who was she to reject something like this right? Besides, that sofa they just brought in looked so comfortable.

"Where should we put this?" one of the guys asked her and she snapped out of her thoughts immediately while running inside and coordinating the guys about where to put what. All the things looked so expensive and nicer than her old furniture. There were even two new beds. Deciding to put the queen size bed in her room and the king size bed in the guest room, she helped with everything for the next 3 hours while completely forgetting that she was tired and jet lagged from the flight.

* * *

As soon as Troy stepped outside the LAX, he was immediately surrounded by flashing cameras and people yelling questions at him left and right. He was jet-lagged and the fact that people were all surrounding him so tightly didn't help much either. He was getting claustrophobic and he could also feel a headache coming.

Tracy had promised him that his new house would be ready for him to move in immediately. All the new furniture was there and the only thing he had to do was settle in. He couldn't wait till he got to his new home and could just collapse on his bed and sleep till tomorrow afternoon.

Troy ignored all the questions and people and made his way to the awaiting SUV that took him to his new home.

* * *

Gabriella got out of the bathroom after a long hot bubbly bath that she missed so much. With a towel wrapped around her body, she made her way towards her "new" closet and was about to open it when she heard the front door slam shut. This alarmed her greatly as there shouldn't be anyone slamming her door shut. She didn't have a boyfriend or a husband and her best friends never did that either. Was it a thief?

Completely forgetting she had nothing but a towel on, she cautiously made her way downstairs. As she got down the spiral staircase, she quietly stepped towards the front door but when she got there she saw no one. Was she hallucinating? No, she clearly heard the door slam shut.

Gabriella decided that she might have been hallucinating after all and sharply turned around only to collide with something hard. The collision was strong which almost made her fall back but she managed to step back quickly and gain her balance. That's weird, from what she remembered, there was no wall.

"What the fuck?!" and wall clearly couldn't talk. Slowly looking up, Gabriella came face to face with electrifying blue eyes that she thought she would never see again. She didn't know what to do, but the surprise made her start screaming. This cause the other person to scream too.

If someone was to walk into the room, they would come face to face with two people standing opposite of each other screaming their heads off. One wearing nothing but a towel, with long damp hair and wide eyes and the other person fully clothed in jeans and a button up shirt, holding a snickers bar. The screaming carried on for whole 5 minutes until Troy decided it was hurting his throat and stopped. This made Gabriella stop too, but her eyes were still wide in shock and her mind was still screaming.

"Why the heck are you here?" asked she asked in shock. What the hell? Was he here to get back him money? Did he follow her? How did he know where she lived anyway?

"Me? This is my house! What are **you** doing here?" Troy exclaimed while staring. Why the fuck was this woman everywhere he went? Was she a stalker? Wasn't she Ryan's girlfriend? Wasn't she pregnant? There were so many questions in his head, but he couldn't help but subconsciously notice that she was wearing nothing but a towel. Her long toned legs giving him a great view and her olive skin clearly contrasting with the clean white towel. What? He was a guy!

"What do you mean by your house? This is **my** house. I lived here since forever!" Gabriella asked, not noticing he was checking her out or that she was still wearing only a towel.

"Actually, I bought this place few days ago, so it's mine." Troy informed her, now calmly. Deciding he saw enough he decided to do something about her "lack" of clothing. "Can we discuss this after you put on some clothes? I feel, uhm, uncomfortable talking to you while you are like this." How did they manage to meet like this all the time was beyond him and he chuckled in amusement.

"What are you talking…." Gabriella asked in confusion while looking down. Her eyes widened and a blush crept onto her face. She immediately pushed aside and ran towards the staircase to her room. There she put on jean shorts, a white tank top and white flip flops and came downstairs again where she found Troy already sitting in the living room and her new sofa.

"Now, explain to me what are you doing in my house again?" Gabriella asked while taking a seat opposite of him.

"Again, it's my house now. I have a proof that I bought it few days ago." Troy said and took out a piece of paper from his pocket, handing it to her. Gabriella took it and skimmed through it. Her eyes grew wide and she froze in shock when she got to the part where the sellers were listed. It said Taylor and Chad Danforth. Her best friends. Before she could react or let the information sink in, Troy leaned over and snatched the paper from her hands.

"So you see, this is mine and you have to get out of here now." Troy informed her casually and leaned back on the chair, observing Gabriella's reaction. Her head was overloaded with questions and all the things that happened this past few days. So her supposedly best friends sent her away and sold her house? How could that be? Where was she supposed to stay now?

"By getting out of here, I mean today you know?" Troy told her coldly after about 10 minutes. Something in his voice made Gabriella snap and made up her mind. She wasn't prepared to give up on her precious house so easily.

"The only one who is getting out of here is you. This is my house and I didn't give permission to anyone to sell it." Gabriella informed him in an equally cold voice.

"No way in hell! Do you know how much I paid for it? There is no way I am going. Besides I like this house." Troy hissed in annoyance. How dare she tell him that. Does she not know who he is?

"So? I am going to pay you back every fucking cent you had to give for it." Retorted Gabriella casually while thinking about her current financial position.

"With what? Remember? You borrowed my money to get back here. That reminds me, you still need to pay me back for that. You have like no money at all." Troy told her in triumph, feeling he had win this argument.

"For you information, I write stories on the internet. It may not be something big like your stupid acting, but it brings money. So every time I make money from it, I will give it to you." Gabriella responded. She was not going down without a fight. This made Troy snort.

"Yea, right. And when will you repay me back completely? When we both hit 80? No way!" he smirked, clearly seeing that the discussion was about to end.

"Please, this house was build by my father before he passed away. This isn't just my house. It's part of who I am and it's the only memory of him. I can't just give it up like that." Gabriella changed to pleading, clearly seeing that retorting back wasn't going to help.

"Boo hoo! My answer is no and this bull shit is over. Get over it and get the hell out!" Troy was fed up with her and stood up, heading to the front door. Opening it for her and waiting for her to get out.

Gabriella knew she didn't have any other choice, so with a sigh she got up and went towards the staircase to take all her clothes and belongings. While packing, she spotted and old frame with an old picture in it. It showed her when she was 8 years old sitting on her fathers back while holding a balloon and her mum standing next to them. All three had big smiles plastered across their faces, looking at the camera. This brought tears to Gabriella's eyes. Standing up, she angrily wiped her face, took her luggage and stomped down where Troy was still standing with the door opened. This made Gabriella even angrier.

"You are such an arrogant stuck up jerk! I can't even believe there are people like you in the world! I sincerely feel sorry for the person that will marry you! You fucking idiot!" with that she made her way out of the house and didn't even bother to look back.

* * *

Troy Bolton was a very healthy person. He ate a lot of vegetables and always exercised. After all, he had to look good on the red carpet didn't he? That's why he was currently stretching outside his house at 6 am. Dressed in a track suit, Troy began jogging as he did every morning.

He didn't get that far when he came across the bench that was situated few meters away from his door. It wasn't the bench that made Troy look at it. It was the person that was currently lying on it that made him look at it. There was Gabriella, sleeping on the bench while her suitcase was put underneath it. Her cheeks were rosy from the slight wind that was blowing as they were right on the beach and her head was put on her purse which was tightly clutched by her hands. Troy couldn't believe it, why wasn't she gone already? Didn't she have a place to go? Troy came over to her and slightly shook her shoulders.

"What the hell woman! Wake up! I told you to go away not to camp out on my bench!" Gabriella groaned and slowly opened her eyes to face the person who so rudely woke her up from her limited sleep. She just managed to drift into unconsciousness after she couldn't sleep the whole night and now it seemed that she wouldn't get any sleep ever again.

"I am so tired and my body hurts so much." She moaned while rubbing her eyes slowly. She didn't even open her eyes fully when she picked her things up and with a small pout and semi closed eyes started to make her way down the road.

Troy looked after her retreating figure and mumbled "Crazy woman." While starting his jog to the opposite direction, towards the beach.

One hour later, Troy jogged back to his house when he once again passed the bench. He couldn't believe his eyes. Lying there, again, was Gabriella. She was in the exact same position he found her in a while ago, sleeping. Troy was shaking her awake, fully prepared to yell at her for wasting his time, when he noticed her shaking. And it wasn't from him. He touched her forehead only to find that she was burning up. Troy didn't know what to do; he had never taken care of anyone, let alone a sick person.

Without thinking, Troy picked Gabriella up and made his way towards the front door. When he got inside, he took her upstairs to the room she previously claimed and put her on the bed. After that, he went to his room, took a shower and got to his Audi A8 and drove into the town towards the nearest drug store.

How the heck did his life become so complicated? Moreover, why the heck did he take care of Gabriella?

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A/N: we are cutting it here people! Sorry :P but if u review, the next chapter might be up VERY soon! We can't wait for you to find out what happens! And trust us, A LOT happens next chapter! YAY! Hope u enjoyed it! REVIEW!

**BONUS: For those who review, there will be a sneak peak of our next chapter waiting!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hi! So again, thanks for the reviews people! It's always amazing to read them! Plus, I think all of you who reviewed the last chapter received a thank you gift from us rite? :P Hope you liked it! Here is Chapter 5!!!!!**

**BTW: READ THE AUTHORS NOTE AT THE END! THERE IS A SURPRISE WAITING FOR YOU GUYS!**

**Disclaimer: It's tiring to repeat this every single chapter but we do NOT own anything related to High School Musical or any companies and brands mentioned in this story!!!**

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Chapter 5

_Previously:_

_Without thinking, Troy picked Gabriella up and made his way towards the front door. When he got inside, he took her upstairs to the room she previously claimed and put her on the bed. After that, he went to his room, took a shower and got to his Audi A8 and drove into the town towards the nearest drug store._

_How the heck did his life become so complicated? Moreover, why the heck did he take care of Gabriella?_

Troy carefully opened the door of Gabriella's room and stepped in. His hands were carefully balancing a tray with a steaming hot bowl of soup, a glass of water and few pills. When he came to the bed, he put the tray down on the bedside table, took the, now warm, towel from her forehead and went to the adjoined bathroom to make it cool and wet again. When he came back, he put it next to the tray and slightly shook Gabriella's shoulders to wake her up.

"Gabriella, come on. I brought pills for the fever. You have to wake up and take them." He said gently. Gabriella stirred and groaned slightly while opening her eyes. She blinked few times while trying to adjust to the bright lights and yawned.

"I don't feel so good." She mumbled while holding her head. Then she looked around and spotted Troy right next to her. "What the hell? What am I doing here? What are you doing here?" then all the events came rushing back to her head which caused her headache to increase even more. "Ow." She whined quietly.

"Here take the pills" Troy said while handing her the pills along with a glass of water.

"Thanks." Gabriella said while putting them in her mouth and washing them off with the water.

"Do you want to go to the doctor?" Troy asked her not sure how to act. He didn't know what to do. The only experience he had with sick people was when he was sick himself. He didn't take care of anyone except on the big screens, how was he supposed to take care of this woman he barely knew but seemed to appear constantly in his life in the past few days?

"No, it's ok. I just want to stay home and rest." Gabriella said while putting the glass on the tray and lying back down again.

"Whatever. I made you some chicken soup. Eat it, I am going out." Troy said while standing up and heading towards the door not even bothering to glance at Gabriella again. _Insensitive jerk _thought Gabriella when the door of her room was closed. _Insensitive jerk who let you sleep in his house, brought pills to you and apparently made chicken soup for you. _A small voice in her head reminded her but she pushed it to the back and instead reached aside for the bowl. Holding the spoon, she took a small sip.

"Ew, this tastes like dishwasher water." Mumbled Gabriella in disgust but still continued eating. Looking over at the clock, she spotted that it was already 9 p.m. _What is he doing, going out this late? _She mused but shrugged it off and settled back in she sheets once again drifting to unconsciousness.

* * *

Sharpay Henney looked like a fairy tale princess: long, wavy blonde hair, mysterious smile, slim body plus good manners and a charming personality. She came from a very rich family and was accustomed to being loved. She had never been rejected by anyone and felt content only when everybody around her loved her and gave her their full attention. She always believed that happiness is an objective thing that can be achieved through negotiating.

Every princess needed her fairy tale prince and "happily every after" ending. In Sharpay's case, she was hoping to find all that and more in the person she was currently sitting at a bar with.

"I have a magazine launching party next Friday and I would love to see you there Shar." Ryan said gently while sipping his drink. Yes, Sharpay was hoping to get her fairy tale ending with Ryan Evans, the person she was crushing on since pre-school when she first met him.

"Are you staying in LA for good now?" She decided to ignore his offer, instead she replaced it with her own question. It was not that she didn't want to go because she absolutely adored parties and being the LA socialite she was, she couldn't miss a chance to be seen in public.

"I don't know, I might be going to New York by the end of the month. After the magazine goes out, I will have to be there to keep an eye on everything you know." Ryan told her sincerely. Sharpay opened her mouth to respond but was rudely cut off by Ryan who didn't even notice she was going to speak.

"What do you think about that girl over there Shar?" asked Ryan while pointing at the tall red haired girl that just walked to the bar. Sharpay turned to look at her and didn't say anything. "I think she is hot, maybe I should invite her for a drink don't you think?" Ryan carried on not noticing the hurt in Sharpay's eyes.

"Excuse me." She said and stood up fast heading for the bathroom. Once she got there, she shut the door and hurried to the sink to splash some water on her face. How could he do that? She was sitting right there and he goes and picks another girl?

A single lone tear slipped down Sharpay's face but she quickly wiped it off with her right hand while the left one rummaged through her purse for her toiletries bag. Carefully re applying her make up, Sharpay gave herself one last look over before heading back out to the bar with her perfect flawless face only to find Ryan's seat empty and a note next to her glass.

_Sorry Shar but I decided to head back first. You know the red head? Turns out she is a model. I will catch you later though ok? – Ryan xox_

After reading the note, she crumpled it and threw it back on the table while gathering her things and heading out carefully hiding her tear strained face from everyone around.

* * *

When Gabriella woke up, she was starving! She couldn't even remember the last time she had a proper meal but one the other hand, she was feeling way better than the previous night. Groggily, she made her way downstairs while rubbing her eyes.

Once in the kitchen, she saw that Troy left her another bowl of his dishwasher soup with even more pills. Gabriella took the pills but dumped the soup in the sink, deciding that she was strong enough to handle some proper food. With that she opened the fridge and started emptying all the food containers she could find.

* * *

Being a big star was truly tiring, no matter what everyone said. Troy knew the truth and it was confirmed by the way he dragged his body into the kitchen in the evening. Running away from the crazy fans, working out in the gym, even more running from the fans and a long boring meeting with the directors of his new movie. That was all Troy Bolton had to face in one day. Can you say exhausting?

With all the action, he was completely starved and so he hoped for some food when he opened his huge fridge. However, the only things he found were empty plastic boxes that once contained all his precious food. What the fuck were they doing in the fridge? With the containers in his hand he angrily stomped into the living room only to find Gabriella watching a movie about a bunch of high school kids singing about becoming famous. Troy, however, didn't care about this, even though there was pink colour everywhere on the screen. The only thing he was focused on was the empty food containers that were the only remaining thing from his precious food!

"Why the heck did you eat all my food?" Troy yelled furiously while standing right in front of the TV to make sure he had Gabriella's full attention.

"I was hungry. Now move, you are blocking my view." Stated Gabriella simply while focusing on the movie again. This made Troy's blood boil even more. That crazy woman!

"You fucking ate all my food and didn't even bother to clean up after yourself!" Troy exclaimed while turning the TV off.

"What the fuck?" Gabriella now turned to him, angry that he interrupted the good movie she was watching. "turn it back on! And go and buy more food if it bothers you so much! By the way, aren't you a guy? Why does me leaving a mess bother you so much?"

"If you made the mess you have to clean it up as well!" yelled Troy while waving empty plastic wrappers he found in the fridge around.

"Fine!" Gabriella yelled with an equal amount of anger, stood up, snatching the boxes from his hand and stomping to the kitchen furiously. How dare he tell her what to do? Who was he? Her father?

* * *

"You seem completely healthy now." Troy stated after Gabriella cleaned everything up and both of them moved back to the living room. _Shit. If I tell him I am feeling good now, he will kick me out of his house. Where would I stay then? _Gabriella cursed mentally.

"Actually, I still feel a little dizzy and my head is still warm." Gabriella responded with a weak voice while putting her hand to her forehead and coughing a bit.

"You are putting on a great show you know. You should be an actress. You almost fooled me again like last time with the pregnancy." Troy snorted with a smirk. How was she supposed to respond to that? She was busted, what's more to say? With a sigh, Troy pulled out check book and a pen. After scribbling something on it and tearing it out, he handed it to Gabriella who looked at it confusedly.

"What is that?"

"This is a check, obviously. Take it and leave. You are poor and you have no where to stay so I am making sure you will not camp out on my bench again." Troy informed her and shoved the piece of paper into her small hands. This made Gabriella angry. What the fuck?

"You are such an idiot!" She yelled at him while throwing the check at his face. "Do you think you are that good? Am I some kind of charity project for you? I don't need your fucking money. What I need is my house back. You are so unbelievable!" with that Gabriella slapped him and stormed out of the house.

Troy didn't expect this and to say he was surprised was an understatement. No one had ever dared to touch him let alone slap him since he was small. Then suddenly this woman walks in, screws with his life, slaps him and walks out. Unbelievable! How she was still alive was a mystery to Troy but he still didn't do anything. However as soon as he heard the front door shut, he darted right after her while cursing under his breath.

"Wait!"

"What the fuck do you want Bolton?" she asked with venom in her voice while still keeping her fast pace. Troy winced at her voice and decided that it was enough. With that, he stopped her and lifted her up, put her over his shoulder and wordlessly started going back towards his house.

"What the fuck? What are you doing? Put me down now!" Gabriella exclaimed in shock and started kick, screaming and trying to get out of his iron grasp but Troy didn't even flinch. When he arrived at the house, he put her on the sofa and took out a piece of paper together with a pen.

"What are you…" Gabriella was going to ask, but Troy silenced her with his hand while still writing. After few minutes he finally stopped and looked up at her.

"You have to follow the terms if you want to live here." Troy informed her while handing her the piece of paper. Gabriella took it and read over it while chewing on her bottom lip. It had all the conditions and tasks she had to do.

breakfast (scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, French toast, waffles and fruit) every morning. Lunch and Dinner if needed.

the house. It has to be spotless all the time.

stay in your room and don't disturb me!

"Fine." She said after a while, all her anger completely gone. "What's with the breakfast? There is so much food! What are you? A pig?" she asked while looking at him.

"I am a growing man! I need my food." Troy stated simply while observing her reaction.

"Ew" she mumbled "spotless? Neat freak much? Gosh!"

"Yes, the house will always have to be spotless! Do you have a problem with that? If you don't like it then leave. Fine by me."

"Fine, so I am basically your maid now right?" She asked, receiving a nod from him. "ok, one thing though." She added after a while with a smirk.

"What?" Troy asked warily.

"I will take this, thank you very much." Gabriella leaned down and picked up the check that she previously threw at his face. It had quite a lot of money so she would be stupid to reject it! Before Troy could react she run upstairs to her room to officially unpack, in case he changed his mind.

* * *

With the new house, Troy wanted a whole new closet too and so he headed to the only boutique he was getting his clothing supplies from. When he stepped in, he was immediately greeted by his best friend.

"Troy! Long time no see! How are you?" Sharpay asked excitedly while giving his hug which he gladly returned.

"I've been good! I actually have a new house and that's why I am here Pay."

"Let me guess, you need a new wardrobe." Sharpay laughed while telling one of her assistants to take out her entire new line for males so Troy could take a look at them. Meanwhile she and Troy moved to her office to talk and drink coffee.

"I actually have something to tell you Troy." Sharpay said nervously while stirring her coffee. Troy looked at her worriedly while thinking about all the possible bad scenarios that could happen.

"What is it Pay?"

"I decided to go to New York to study more about fashion and gain more experience." She told him suddenly finding the black substance more interesting than his endearing blue eyes. She knew that if she looked him in the eyes he would be able to tell that she was lying and she really didn't want him to know the real reason for her sudden decision.

"Wh-wh-what?" Troy managed to ask while trying not to choke on his coffee. New York was on the other end of the country! She couldn't do that to him! There was an awkward silence between the two. Neither of them knowing what to say and so they just sat there sipping their coffees until Sharpay's assistant came in and informed them that the clothes were ready for Troy to see. While picking out his new clothes, Troy made up his mind. He couldn't lose his woman and he knew exactly what to do.

After everything was done, Troy hurriedly left the boutique and headed towards the direction of a jewelry store only one goal on his mind.

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A/N: DAMN! That was long! Hope you liked it! Don't forget! REVIEW!

**BONUS: Two of you lucky readers will be able to guest star in the next episode! YAY! It's simple really. The only thing you have to do is answer the following question and send it to us via reviewing:**

**What was the movie Gabriella was watching when Troy stormed to the living room with the plastic containers? Can you also say the particular scene?**

**Good luck people! Don't forget to add the name you want to be referred to as in the chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey readers! Thanks for reviewing the last chapter AND for taking part in the competition kind of thingy. And yes, the answer WAS indeed HSM3, I want it All scene. Now, the winners (the first two people that answered the question right) are:**

**HannahSweetie33 – She is gonna appear as Hannah in the story**

**JazzyJazz07 – Jasmine**

**So watch out for them people. The chapter is full of surprises! AND its gonna b SUPER long because we r leaving for sunny paradise of Vinpearl Land soon. Dunno if we will update but we will try to. As much as possible…promise!**

**Disclaimer: We own Nada, Zilch, Nothing that has something to do with High School Musical.**

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Chapter 6

_Previously:_

"_I decided to go to New York to study more about fashion and gain more experience." She told him suddenly finding the black substance more interesting than his endearing blue eyes. She knew that if she looked him in the eyes he would be able to tell that she was lying and she really didn't want him to know the real reason for her sudden decision._

_***_

_After everything was done, Troy hurriedly left the boutique and headed towards the direction of a jewelry store only one goal on his mind._

"About 2 million for the house, let's say a hundred thousand for the furniture…" Gabriella mumbled to herself while writing everything down in her small notebook that had a matching pen with it. She was currently calculating how much money she owned Troy Bolton and so far, it wasn't looking so good. She would probably need about hundred years or a miracle to repay everything.

"Would he want money for the electricity bills and stuff as well?" Gabriella continued to muse when the doorbell rang. Not expecting any company, she curiously walked out to the hallway and slowly opened the door. When she looked up, she was met with an elderly man in a business suit.

"Hi, can I help you?"

"Hello, I am looking for a lady named Gabriella Montez?" the man said in a serious tone. Gabriella was taken aback by this. Why would anyone want to see her? She was mentally going through her life to see if she broke any laws or something like that. Was it because of her debt to Troy? That jerk reported it?

"I am Gabriella Montez. Who are you?"

"Ah, yes. I am a representative from the National Bank. We are here to inform you that you currently owe us a lot of money." This sent Gabriella in shock. Even **more** money? How the heck did that happen?

"What? That must be some kind of a mistake. I never borrowed any money from you." She chocked out. Someone up there must really like seeing her in debt. It's sad.

"Oh no, you didn't borrow any money. It's more like you spent it. According to this report," the man took an envelope out "you opened a credit card. But the payment is overdue and you didn't pay it yet." He informed her while handing her the piece of paper. Gabriella immediately took it and tore the envelope open. After scanning through the report quickly, she immediately found out who did it.

"Chad Danforth opened a credit card under my name?" Gabriella asked in slowly, not really believing that her best friends conned her yet again.

"It sure seems like so. Now, Ms. Montez, in the report you also have the amount you owe us and the due date. We really hope there wouldn't be any more encounters like this. Have a good day." With that the man turned around and walked out of the driveway. Gabriella, still staring at the piece of paper from hell, abstinently closed the door and went to the living room.

"Unbelievable."

* * *

"Sharpay Henney, from the moment I saw you standing on the sidewalk near you house in that pink and puffy dress I knew I loved you. You are the love of my life and I can't imagine living without you. So, will you marry me?" Troy choked out nervously.

"That was like **the **lamest line for proposal I've ever heard. You should really work on it if you want the audience to believe it." Troy whipped his head around from the mirror towards the person standing in the door of his room.

"What are you talking about." He chocked out, thinking that Gabriella had found out about his plan.

"Your line, dumb ass. It was way too corny. Tell your producers to change it; no one will watch a movie with a line like that." She said with a smirk. Troy mentally sighs in relief.

"Oh, yea, the movie." He chuckles humorlessly. So she thought that he was practicing for a movie! Stupid woman. But suddenly Troy remembered that she called him a dumb ass. "And I am not a dumb ass. It's you who is stupid here. Just get out of my room, I need to go somewhere tonight so don't make me any dinner."

"Whatever." Gabriella responded irritated. She was just trying to help and he has to be the jerk he usually is again.

* * *

"Hi, you must be Troy Bolton. Your assistant Tracy called us and told us to book the whole restaurant for you." A young woman greeted Troy as soon as he walked into the restaurant in the middle of LA.

Yes, that's me and thank you so much, uh…" Troy looked at the woman and waited for her to tell him her name.

"Hannah. It's Hannah and I will be your main waitress today. So if you need anything you can just ask." She said immediately while leading him to the table in the middle of the restaurant.

"Actually, I will have you take you up on that Hannah." Troy chuckled nervously. That's it, he was going to do it and no second thoughts. He took out a small box and handed it to Hannah. "I need you to take this and when the dessert comes, put the ring on top of the ice cream please. It's very important to me and I want it to be perfect."

"Of course, sir." Troy sat down and took a long sip of water. To say he was nervous was an understatement. He was going to propose to Sharpay tonight and if everything went according to the plan, by the end of tonight he would be a taken man. Now only if Sharpay wouldn't be "fashionably" late as usual. He really wanted this night to be over.

* * *

"Hi, can I talk to the editor of OK! Magazine please?" said Hannah politely. "Yes, I have a very interesting news regarding Mr. Troy Bolton, you know him right?" she giggled and looked over to where Troy and Sharpay were sitting.

* * *

The whole dinner went really smoothly after Sharpay turned up. They talked and laughed the whole night and Sharpay didn't seem to notice Troy's nervousness.

"So, are you up for a dessert Pay? They have the best strawberry ice cream here you know?" asked Troy after they had finished their main course. The main part of the evening, however, was just about to start.

"You know me well Troy. I don't say no to strawberry ice cream." Sharpay giggled while sipping her red whine. Troy was about to call the waitress over and ask for dessert, hopefully with the ring on top, when Sharpay's phone started ringing.

"Excuse me for a moment." She said and walked away with the ringing phone in her hand. Troy didn't quite like it but decided to leave it and focus on his main task of the evening.

"Hello?" Sharpay answered the phone. "Oh hi Ryan." She added enthusiastically right afterwards.

"_Hi, Shar. Are you busy right now?"_ Sharpay looked over at Troy who was sitting at the table playing with the napkin while seeming to be very deep in thoughts.

"Uhm, no, why are you asking?" She answered after a bit of hesitation. Troy would understand wouldn't he? It's not like the dinner was anything important, they could always have dinner again another day. Besides, they almost finished and ice cream would just make her gain more weight.

"_Well, I thought we could meet somewhere for a drink or two you know? And talk."_

"Sure! Just say where and I will be there in 15 minutes." Sharpay said excitedly. "OK, see you there." She ended the call after getting the address of the place. She walked over to Troy who seemed to sit up straighter with an excited expression on his face.

"Troy, listen. I had a great night and I really enjoyed the dinner so thanks, but I have to go somewhere right now. Sorry." Sharpay informed him when she got to the table.

"Where are you going and what about ice cream?" he asked him bewilderment. That was not how the evening was supposed to go.

"I am meeting up with Ryan now. Why?" She said casually as if it was nothing, even though inside, she was jumping up and down from excitement.

"You like him don't you?" Troy asked trying to sound calm when really, he was prepared to explode from anger. It took Sharpay a while before she answered hesitantly.

"I do like Ryan." She whispered quietly but loud enough for Troy to hear. The words stabbed Troy like knives and he felt himself breaking inside.

"He doesn't like you though. He never liked you, don't you know?" Troy hissed out while trying to control his anger.

"Then I will make him like me. I will treat you for ice cream some other time. What do you say?" Sharpay told him whole picking all her things up, not noticing his excitement somehow slipped away from his face and was replaced by a disappointed and angry look.

"Uhm…yea sure, we can have ice cream some other time." He mumbled out, but Sharpay was already at the exit of the restaurant so she couldn't hear him. The evening really didn't turn out like he wanted it to. Troy paid, took the ring back and went home.

* * *

Troy Bolton didn't like losing. He never lost, but tonight was the first time he did and it hurt him like nothing ever did before. It didn't hurt this much when he and his father had an argument that caused a big crack in their relationship, it didn't hurt this much when he fell down from his bike when he was five and scrapped his knee and broke his arm. It never hurt like this, ever. When he got home, he threw the ring into the bin in the kitchen and took out a whole new bottle of tequila. At least he will try to ease the pain with it.

"I see I am not the only one having a crappy day today." Gabriella walked in and sat down next to him. Taking out a new glass, she poured herself a shot and drank it at on go. They sat in silence until Gabriella decided to break it.

"You would think, that after 15 years of knowing each other and being best friends, they wouldn't be capable of doing something like this!" She burst out. "Yet, they did. How could my two closest friends con me like no one would ever be able to? They sold my house, emptied my bank account and opened a new credit card on my name!"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" asked Troy in a slightly slurred voice due to the 3 or 4 shots he already managed to have.

"Nothing, just nothing." She said. "Anyhow! How did the proposal scene go? Was it still the corny line? Wait, what's the movie about anyway?" she asked, deciding to change the subject. Troy didn't say anything for a while, thinking about what to say.

"The movie is about a guy who falls in love with this girl but the girl plans on going away. So the guy decides to confess and propose to her and tell her not to go, to stay by his side…" he told her while she listened with concentration.

"But the girl likes another guy." Gabriella finished up for him. This made Troy sit up straighter and with a shocked expression.

"How do you know that?" he asked while observing her closely, musing whether or not can this girl read minds. Freak.

"I am a writer, I know these things." She answered casually while sipping a bit of tequila and grimacing at the taste. "However, he still couldn't give up on her, because if he lost her, he couldn't live without her. He couldn't confess to her as he was afraid that he would lose her if he did. Because there is more to love than just happiness, so he decides to stay by her side, even if it hurts him." Gabriella continued on with the story while Troy just sat there in amazement.

"So what happens next?" he asked curiously.

"Nothing, he lives in misery for ever and dies alone." She said carelessly and shrugged her shoulders.

"Whatever, you are really weird." Troy said angrily as he didn't like the ending at all. "I am going upstairs, don't forget that you have to clean up the house. It's so messy!" He stood up and walked towards the stairs.

"Jerk." Gabriella mumbled in annoyance and went to throw the, now, empty bottle of Tequila way when she spotted something shiny in the bin. She went to pick it up only to find out that it was a ring. And a pretty one too! It looked really expensive, what was it doing in the bin? Gabriella decided to keep it and confront Troy about it in the morning.

* * *

When Troy came home from his morning run, he was immediately greeted by the delicious smell of pancakes and bacon lingering in the air. So he stepped into the room and spotted Gabriella putting everything on the plate for him.

"Morning" He greeted her while eyeing the food hungrily. Gabriella looked up and immediately scrunched her nose. Troy found that quite cute, but immediately pushed the thought away.

"Morning, but ewe, go shower before you eat. You look disgusting and probably smell even worse. You are going to ruin my appetite with you body odor." She told him while getting the knives and forks out.

Troy run up and took the fastest shower in human history, pulled on a pair of basketball shorts and run back down eagerly waiting for the food. Boy he was starved! As soon as Gabriella put a plate in front of him and a coffee, he started shoving everything in his mouth. If anyone didn't know better, they would think he didn't eat anything for a month.

"You are even worse than Chad." Gabriella looked at him disgustedly while taking small bites of the pancake.

"Whatever." He responded carelessly with a mouthful, giving Gabriella a full view of how bacon and pancakes look when mixed and mashed together.

"So anyway, I found this ring in the bin the other night. What's with that?" she asked why taking the gold band out from her pocket. Upon seeing the ring again, Troy almost chocked on his breakfast. He thought he got rid of it last night and seeing it made all the pain and memories come back to his mind.

"Nothing that should concern you!" he snapped at her and reached for the ring only to throw it out the open doors to the back yard. Gabriella stared at the grass where the ring should have landed with shock.

"Are you out of your fucking mind? That must have cost tons!" she turned to him and glared. "Next time I find it, I will keep it!"

"Whatever." He shrugged and continued chewing as if nothing had happened. As if he didn't just throw out a ring that cost him about ten grand.

* * *

"He is fucking stupid! How could he do this and not tell me anything about it?" Harry, Troy's manager, yelled in his office while throwing OK! Magazine on the desk. Normally, Harry would have been happy that Troy appeared in the magazines because it meant more publicity. But when the magazine shows something with Troy, a woman and an engagement ring, Harry isn't happy anymore!

"An Engagement! You would think something **that** important would be discussed with the manager first! It's a life and career changing thing! How could he do that?" he continued to fume while taking his phone out and dialing the number of his client.

* * *

"Troy! Troy! Troy!" Gabriella yelled from the front door. As soon as she saw the paper she had to come back to tell him! Troy was currently lying on the couch trying to have a nap which was rudely interrupted by screaming Gabriella.

"What?!" he asked, clearly annoyed. Gabriella was taken aback by his behavior but chose to ignore it since it was something very big.

"Have you seen the papers? You are all over the papers!" she said while shoving the magazine into his hands. The front cover screaming nothing else but Troy's scandal. Troy was shocked by this. How did they find out anyway? It was supposed to be a secret. He groaned and stood up. His manager will be up his ass about this. As if on cue, the home phone started ringing. His cell phone was turned off ages ago since it was supposed to be his resting day. But not the home phone.

"Aren't you going to take that?" Gabriella asked in confusion while the infamous ringing tone still flooded the whole house. Troy didn't say anything but reached over and took out the cord. The ringing immediately stopped and the house was, instead, filled with a complete silence.

Gabriella shrugged her shoulders and instead of standing there like an idiot, she started cleaning the house. However, a thought suddenly crossed her mind and she turned curiously to Troy who was sitting and staring at the couch.

"The ring on the cover looks exactly like the ring I found doesn't it?" she asked him. Troy, however, didn't answer. Instead, he stood up and made his way into the back yard and sat down on the swing by the tree.

Deciding to ignore his sudden weird behavior, Gabriella continued sorting out the coffee table when she came across an envelope. Curious about what was inside, she opened it and found an invitation. It was an invitation to Ryan Evans' magazine launching party. The party that all the important people would go to. Including, editors from various publishing companies Gabriella realized. If they got a copy of her story they could make it into a book!

With this thought, she grabbed the envelope and run to Troy who was still sitting on the swing and looking at the ocean. "Troy, I saw this invitation on the table." She said while showing it to him. Troy looked at it and then at Gabriella.

"So what?"

"Well, uhm, I was thinking. Can I go with you?" she asked somewhat shyly. Troy didn't even blink and immediately answered.

"No." this made Gabriella's eyes snap to him with a disappointed look.

"Why not? I **swear** I am not going to embarrass you! As soon as we get there we can each go our own way." She pleaded and tried to reason with him. Troy didn't seem moved by this.

"I said no and that's final. Now don't beg, it makes you look pathetic." He retorted while swinging gently in the swing.

"You are so mean! Jerk!" Gabriella exclaimed annoyed. He didn't even think about it! What an idiot! She needed to take out anger on something and he was the closest thing. Gabriella took all her power she could muster up and shove him. Troy, not expecting anything like this, lost balance and fell down from the swing.

"What the fuck woman!" he yelled out. Gabriella was surprised but still trying to hold back her laugh so she run back into the house, taking the envelope with her. "Wait till I get to you! You are so dead!" Troy yelled after her. "Crazy woman." He mumbled out while getting up slowly with pain.

* * *

Upper class parties were nothing like people are used to. Jeans, sneakers and t shirts just don't cut it and that's why Troy Bolton was currently standing in an uncomfortable black suit with a thin black tie, talking to his manager who had calmed down after the scandal.

"You know, I have this story with me." Troy told his manager. "I think you should look at it. The writer seems to be quite talented." He added while taking out a copy of Gabriella's story. Of course she didn't know anything about that and Troy wasn't prepared to tell her.

"Sure, I will look at it tomorrow when I get to my office. Now go and mingle." Harry said while looking briefly through the pages. Troy nodded and looked around. There were quite a lot of people. Actors, producers, singers, models, Gabriella, politicians, repor… Wait! Rewind! Gabriella?? Troy made a double look. There, indeed, was Gabriella. Standing with a plate of what looked like a piece of a chocolate cake talking to another woman.

Even though Troy was completely surprised that she was there, he had to admit she looked great. She was wearing a black dress that reached to her mid thigh. It was one shoulder dress and the strap had a bow on it. **(just like during Hairspray premiere)** Stunned, Troy made his towards her.

"Gabriella!" he faked smiled. "What are you doing here?" he asked with a tight smile while looking at her and at the other woman.

"Troy!" Gabriella exclaimed nervously. She was shocked that he found her so quickly that she didn't even notice the piece of cake fall onto her dress until it was too late. "Oh shoot." She exclaimed while putting the cake down and examining the damage.

"How did you get here?" Troy asked with a smirk and completely ignoring her friend that was currently drooling over him.

"I took a bus" she said abstinently. Then she looked up. She had to get rid of him somehow or else she wouldn't be able to talk to any publishers. "Troy! Have you met Jasmine?" she exclaimed while pulling the girl over to her side. "Jasmine, this is Troy Bolton. Troy, this is Jasmine. She is a model!"

"Nice to meet you." Troy shook her hand politely. Jasmine immediately responded and started a conversation. Gabriella took this opportunity and run away towards the bathrooms.

* * *

Gabriella made her way back towards the party when she suddenly bumped into someone.

"Oh I am so sorry." She exclaimed while looking up only to come face to face with no one else but Ryan Evans himself.

"No, it was my fault! I should say sorry." He said while looking at her. Then his eyes grew in recognition. "Gabriella Montez?" he asked.

"Yes! You still remember me?" she answered excitedly. The two immediately fell into a conversation and forgot all about the ongoing party.

"Where the heck is that woman?" muttered Troy while looking around the place for Gabriella, who had disappeared half an hour ago, leaving him with Jasmine. Suddenly he heard a laugh that was somewhat familiar to him and he went that way. There stood Gabriella and his friend Ryan talking and laughing like they were old friends.

"…and then she just jumps off the cliff because she thinks he is gay." Gabriella exclaimed giggling. Ryan threw his head back and laughed, not noticing that Sharpay was watching them with a hate in her eyes. Finally she had enough of looking at them being all warm towards each other and made her way over there.

"Are you testing me right now? Are you testing how much I can take and how far I can go?" Sharpay yelled at Ryan and at a terrified Gabriella. What the heck was going on?

"Sharpay, what are you talking about?" Ryan asked calmly while looking at her straight in the eye.

"You knew I liked you! You knew I was fucking in love with you since we first met! Why are you still like this?" she exclaimed furiously while also glaring at Gabriella who, at the moment, wanted nothing else but for the ground to open and swallow her.

"I am sorry that you mistook my actions Shar. But I only see you as my little sister, nothing else. Don't you know that Troy likes you a lot?" Ryan replied coldly but seriously. This surprised both Sharpay and Gabriella. Troy, who was also standing there watching, stood in shock and looked at Ryan, horrified.

"Is that it? You are rejecting me because Troy likes me?" Sharpay asked Ryan in tears. However, she immediately turned to Troy and marched up to him.

"Yah! Troy Bolton! Do you like me? Do you love me? If you do confess it right here right now!" Sharpay asked him while tears streamed down her face, ruining her make up. Troy Bolton sighed and walked towards Ryan and Gabriella slowly with Sharpay following right behind him. Troy suddenly turned around and looked dead into her eyes.

"I really like you…Gabriella Montez." He said seriously and pulled Gabriella towards him kissing her square on the lips while Ryan and Sharpay watched with wide eyes, cameras flashing wildly behind them.

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A/N: yea, we are evil! Like it? Hate it? REVIEW! 3 it's fucking LONG!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey! The reviews were amazing! Keep them coming please! The more reviews, the faster the update. I am like sitting in my room in a resort and instead of going to the night market, I chose to write this! Lucky You! :P**

**Disclaimer: We don't own anything from this story that is related to High School Musical and all that stuff k?**

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**Chapter 7**

_Previously:_

"_Yah! Troy Bolton! Do you like me? Do you love me? If you do confess it right here right now!" Sharpay asked him while tears streamed down her face, ruining her make up. Troy Bolton sighed and walked towards Ryan and Gabriella slowly with Sharpay following right behind him. Troy suddenly turned around and looked dead into her eyes._

"_I really like you…Gabriella Montez." He said seriously and pulled Gabriella towards him kissing her square on the lips while Ryan and Sharpay watched with wide eyes, cameras flashing wildly behind them._

Upper class parties were always the time where something important happened. Business deals, cat fights, confessions and scandals, anything and everything. This time, it was Troy Bolton's turn to grace the front pages of all tabloids.

Gabriella was never the one to like having all the attention on her. However, tonight she had to make an exception because thanks to what had happened, she was sure to capture the spotlight.

After Troy had kissed Gabriella long enough for all the tabloids present to have at least dozen of pictures to choose from, he had pulled her with him towards the exit. To say everyone was watching them leave was an understatement. The crowd had parted for them like the sea for Moises when they walked through.

Gabriella was still in daze. Troy was a great kisser and she didn't even expect it. Although she kind of regretted the fact that she didn't even had time to kiss back when he already pulled away. Sad. She was also very confused as to why he did that, but for now, she just kept quiet and followed him out, looking at the floor not daring to look at anyone or anything else.

Harry was, once again, furious with Troy. He didn't know what to do. In the past few days, it seemed that he didn't have anything else to do but get mad at Troy and then being ignored. This time, he decided not to be so understanding anymore and followed Troy out.

"Troy! What the hell was that back there? How do you expect to iron that out huh? With all those eye witnesses and pictures! You are such an idiot!" Harry exclaimed after Troy had closed the door of Gabriella's passenger seat in his car.

"Whatever, you will just make something up and I will follow through with it. Go with the flow Harry." Troy responded calmly, although, in his mind he was screaming and swearing at everyone and everything. He couldn't believe he did that! What possessed him to do so? He didn't know, but as soon as he finds it, it has to be killed!

Harry was deep in thoughts about this. Gabriella was sweet and kind and basically perfect. She wasn't famous and didn't have any rumors about her yet. She would be able to help Troy get out of all his scandals and maybe get him few more movie deals.

"You will have to marry her." Harry informed Troy who's jaw literally dropped to the floor upon hearing the plan. "She will be able to clear out your rumors about being gay, being a player and all the other crazy rumors will stop." Troy couldn't believe Harry was asking him to do something like that! That was completely crazy and there was no way Gabriella would agree to it.

"I will have to think about that one dude. Give me some time and I will call you tomorrow ok?" Troy said while getting to the other side of the car, ready to drive home in an awkward silence.

"Alright, but you know I am right!" Harry exclaimed while watching Troy pull out of the party venue while paparazzi still snapped away with their expensive cameras. Why they wanted to have a picture of the back of Troy's car was a mystery to everyone, but hey, who says people that stalk others like this are normal?

* * *

Throughout the whole car ride, Gabriella didn't look at Troy and he didn't seem to mind. No words were uttered and neither of them seemed to want to start speaking anytime soon. He focused on the road ahead of him and she stared out of the window next to her. However, their minds were on the same thing, the incident that just happened.

When they arrived at home, Gabriella couldn't take the silence anymore and decided to break it.

"Alright, cards on the table Bolton. What the heck was that back there?" she asked while fully facing him. Troy expected this and already had an answer planned out.

"Let's get married." He told her casually, deciding to ignore everything she said. Gabriella was speechless. His answer was the last thing she expected and seriously, she didn't know how to react to this kind of thing.

"What?! Are you out of your fucking mind? I barely know you and I don't even think I like you as a normal human being, let alone love you enough to marry you!" she exclaimed with wide eyes, still not believing this was happening to her.

"Oh god, I didn't mean it like that. The marriage will be only business, that's all. It will all be only a show for public. This way, all of my scandals and rumors can be cleared away." He informed her while smirking at the fact that she misunderstood his intentions when he "proposed" to her.

"Hold on, what's in it for me? You get to clear your name and me what? I don't get anything?" Gabriella asked him after processing the information and getting over the initial shock. It would take you quite some time too if you were in her position!

"Of course, how could I forget about you!" Troy said sarcastically. "You will get paid for being married to me. You will have the privilege to stay in this house and use one of my smaller accounts from the bank. Happy? And then when we divorce after…let's say 6 months, I will pay you alimony and that's the end."

Gabriella thought about this. She would get money. She would be able to experience the high social life with a husband like that. And did she just hear the word "account"? Still, how could she just give up her single status like that? Marriage was a holy thing and this is a marriage without love. Disgraceful. Her parents had taught her different than this.

"No, I can't. as much as I love money, life isn't all about them you know? And I actually want to marry someone I love." She answered truthfully after a lot of thinking and weighting the pros and cons.

"What? No, you cant do that!" Troy exclaimed. He needed her! He wasn't ready to tell that to her but he did. Without her, Harry would be pissed and then everyone else would be pissed. This could make a huge dent on his acting career. "Wait! I will give you your house back if you marry me! You don't even have to pay me back anything. I swear!" Troy pleaded for the last time. If this didn't work, nothing will.

Gabriella had to think about this one. She would get her house back without payment, and she will get a lot of money too. She would be able to repay all her debts and still have some money to spear. Screw the love, money was better!

"Fine! But only because I want my house back, is that clear?" Gabriella gave in. Troy's face light up in joy after hearing her decision. That was good! He can call Harry now, without having to fear for his life, or career.

* * *

When Troy sat down in the morning for his usually breakfast, he was served a piece of paper, instead of bacon, eggs and pancakes.

"What is this?" he takes the paper and scans through it.

"Our contract. I am still not too happy about that marriage idea and so I want to make sure the plan is fool proof. The paper clearly states all the conditions and terms of our agreement. In case the contract gets violated, the whole agreement is void. Are we clear?" Gabriella informed him in a business like tone. She sounded so sure and confident, when truthfully, she spent the whole night on the computer, constructing the contract and thinking about her decision.

"So all I need to do is sign this and you are going to marry me?" Troy said while reading through the terms. He had to go through everything carefully because you never knew with someone like Gabriella. She could have easily smuggled in a condition about a new car or a whole bank account or something like that, and he wouldn't have known.

"I guess, yeah."

"Good." Troy said and took out a pen from the kitchen table. He took a one last look before putting the piece of paper on the table and scribbling his name underneath the typed in words. Then he handed it to Gabriella, who wrote her name down without a second glance to the conditions.

"Now, where is my breakfast?"

* * *

Gabriella was in the mids of cleaning up the mess from breakfast when she heard the doorbell ring. Leaving everything behind, she went to the door to answer it. When she opened the door, she was met by no other than Chad's and Taylor's faces. They both had an excited look on their face, each clutching an end of a magazine.

"Oh My Gosh Gabi! How could you not tell us you are engaged?! And to Troy Bolton too?" Taylor exclaimed and hugged Gabriella tightly.

"Did you forget that we live? Your two best friends! You need to invite us to the wedding and make us god parents of your kids and before all that, as the big brother I have to "talk" to your fiancé about your heart…remember?" Chad added in an excited voice of a kid that just saw its first Christmas.

"What the fuck?!" Gabriella yelled out. "How can you even have courage to show your face in front of me after all this? Are you guys nuts?!"

"You have to understand us Gabi, we…" Taylor started while looking at her kindly.

"Understand?!" Gabriella laughed sarcastically. "I don't know how anyone can fucking understand the fact that my two, supposedly, best friends conned me and ripped me off of everything! And then they dare to show up on my doorstep asking me about my wedding!" she yelled while Chad and Taylor just looked at the floor.

"Gabi," Chad said gently "we are sorry about that. We really needed the money and frankly, we saw no other way."

"It's called working Chad! Something you two should start to get to know. Now that your trust funds had been drenched." Gabriella hissed while glaring at the two who were still standing on her porch.

"But Ella! Look at it like this: We sold the house, we got the money but you are still living in it **and **getting married! It was a win-win situation!" Chad said and grinned brightly at the currently fuming woman.

"Excuse me?! What about all that money I owe to the bank because someone opened a credit card under my name? What about me getting stuck in England without any money or any place to stay? Have you thought about that? If you say, that this is a win-win situation and give me that stupid grin of yours again, I will make sure it is the last thing you fucking ever do!" Gabriella looked Chad dead in the eye who seemed to want to shrink and hid behind his wife's back.

"Come on, don't be like that. We said we are sorry already. Can't you just drop it?" Taylor tried to reason with her. This made Gabriella even more furious. How can you drop something this big? They put her into debt of million dollars and they want her to drop it? They take away everything she owned and they want her to drop it?

"You know what? Fuck you! You should be happy neither of you are dead right now because, seriously, I just feel like killing you with a slow painful death!" Gabriella screeched and slammed the door shut. Chad and Taylor stood stunned at her outburst but then Taylor turned to her husband and smirked.

"At least she is getting married. And to someone that famous, she sure will have loads of money! That means we might be able to get some too!" she told him while taking his hand and making her way out of the property.

* * *

Jack Bolton was never the one to show emotions. In fact, he rather kept everything to himself. Some people say, it was him who gave Troy the inability to express his feelings properly. Since Troy was born, Jack had played with him a lot. They practiced basketball, watched basketball and talked basketball. Even though it seems like this could be boring after a while, the father and son never complained and even became close through their passion for the sport.

"Coach Bolton!" one of the members of LA Lakers team yelled when they all made their way into the Staples Center. "We heard about Troy! Congratulations!"

Jack had always prided that he was very close to his son but recently, there had been few cracks in the strong bond which pained him very greatly. That is why it was a major blow for him when he found out about his son's latest actions, not via Troy himself, but through one of his players.

"What are you talking about Derek?" Jack asked in confusion.

"The engagement, remember? Troy had almost sealed the deal! How come you didn't tell us?"

"How come he didn't tell me?" mumbled coach ignoring the players and making his way to the office. It was a surprise and he was shocked and angry, not to mention hurt. It was an engagement for god's sake. It was a huge deal! Something that should be discussed with your parent. Who was he getting married to anyway? Last time Troy reported on himself and visited the family, he was dating some model or was it a singer? With a pained heart, Jack headed towards the gym ready to train his team for the championship.

* * *

Gabriella was still so angry about her friends showing up on her doorstep as if nothing had happened. She couldn't believe they would even have the courage to do so and so, when the doorbell rang the second time in 10 minutes, she marched to it and opened it with fury, ready to yell at them again.

"What do you think you are…" her words were cut short as she noticed that she was not yelling at Chad or Taylor but at a man in what looked like a drivers uniform. "Oops." Gabriella piped out while chuckling nervously.

"I am sorry ma'am but are you Gabriella Montez?" he asked politely, ignoring the previous outburst.

"Yes I am. And who are you?" she asked carefully. This better not be another man from another bank! She would kill Chad for that.

"Ma'am, I have the direct orders to take you to the Bolton residence."

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A/N: oooh cliffy! Just so you know. This chapter wasn't supposed to come out anytime soon! But we love you! LOL so REVIEW!!!! Like it? Hate it? Love it!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG! Don't hate us! But the beach sounded way better in the past few days! :P Thanx for reviewing! Xoxo**

**Disclaimer: We don't own anything…even though we wish we wud!**

**Chapter 8**

_Previously:_

"_Ma'am, I have the direct orders to take you to the Bolton residence."_

There are many things in life that Gabriella wanted to have. A family was one of them. Money too, but family was even higher on the list, if that was even possible. But since meeting the Boltons, her list was quickly re ordered and family fell underneath an award for the 'Worst writer ever in the entire universe'.

To say it went good was a complete lie. Gabriella wanted to make a good first impression on the family, even though it was a fake marriage. They didn't know that so Gabriella had to act very in love with Troy. How would she manage that? She didn't know, maybe she could dust off the acting skills that got her back home from England (**remember chapter 1?**).

When the driver announced that she was to go to meet the parents of her future husband, Gabriella felt like screaming her head off or jumping off a cliff. Dramatic? Yes. But she wasn't prepared to meet anyone's parents, let alone Troy's! If Troy was anything like them, it would be like stepping into the Devil's den itself.

Her assumption had turned out to be right. When Gabriella arrived at the Bolton mansion, she was greeted by one of the maids that worked in the house. She was taken to the living room where she saw two women sitting and drinking tea. One was slightly older, with glasses and grey hair. Troy's grandma she assumed. And the other woman was a middle aged, brown haired lady that had a certain aura of authority around her. Both women looked up when Gabriella stepped into the room and immediately gave her a look over.

The older woman had a smile on her face, but the younger one had a slightly disapproving look. This made Gabriella's self esteem lower down a bit. She was wearing skinny jeans, a baby doll tank top and black pumps. It was decent but when she saw how the two women were dressed, she felt very underdressed for the occasion. Both women were wearing women suits and looked like they were meeting the president itself, not their future daughter in law.

The younger woman stood up and came over to Gabriella who was still standing shyly at the door.

"You must be Gabriella Montez. It's very nice to meet you. I am Lucille Bolton, Troy's mother." She said in a business like tone and led Gabriella to one of the sofas. Immediately, on of the maids came in and served her a cup of tea. Very posh. Troy's grandmother looked kindly at Gabriella and introduced herself as Elizabeth Bolton, mother of Jack Bolton, grandmother to Troy Bolton and a possible great grandmother to Gabriella's future kids. At that, Gabriella almost chocked on her tea. Kids? It was **way** too soon to talk about kids.

After the necessary small talk and introductions, it went down to the purpose of Gabriella coming here and the questions began.

"How did you two meet? What are your plans for the future? How many kids are you planning to have? Can you cook? Where does your family come from?" asked Lucille. There were so many questions that even the FBI would have to look up to the woman and learn from her interrogations. Gabriella politely answered every single one but her acting skills did come in handy at certain points.

"So where did you grow up Gabriella?" Elizabeth asked after listening to Gabriella's answers for a while.

"Albuquerque, New Mexico ma'am." She answered, still not daring to call them by their first names even after Elizabeth offered her to do so. Lucille, however, didn't.

"Really? We come from there too, originally, before Jack, my husband, got a job here." Said Lucille. "What high school did you go to?"

"West High School." Gabriella answered. Finally an answer she could give truthfully. Upon hearing this, Lucille clicked her tongue disapprovingly and turned around to look at Elizabeth who was staring at Gabriella fascinated.

There was an awkward silence which was followed by a loud bang of the front doors. All three women turned towards the sound with wide eyes. Troy came storming in with fury and as he spotted Gabriella sitting there, his eyes grew darker shade of blue.

"Troy! What a pleasant surprise honey! Come and sit with us, we were just talking to Gabriella about her life and such." Lucille exclaimed in a too sweet tone. Troy didn't even acknowledge his mother and without a word took Gabriella's hand and dragged her out of the room. Gabriella didn't even have time to react to this. She barely reached for her purse before she was already at the front door.

Before Troy could open them, the doors had already opened up revealing Jack Bolton himself. His eyes grew wide when he spotted his son and a girl standing there, about to walk out. Then the gaze slipped down towards their intertwined hands and his eyes grew even bigger at realization. That was the girl his son wanted to marry!

Troy barely nodded at his father, before he continued his way towards his car, with Gabriella right behind him. When Troy finally left the Bolton premises, Gabriella decided to speak up.

"What the hell was that Bolton? How could you just come in there and take me away like that? I didn't even get to say goodbye to them! That was really rude. What are they going to think of me now?" she exclaimed and looked at him expectantly.

"What? You know you didn't want to be there as much as I didn't want you to be there!" Troy defended himself while throwing a quick glance at her and focusing on the road again.

"That's not true! They were very, uhm, pleasant!" Gabriella struggled to keep her point while thinking back about the meeting. At that, Troy just snorted.

"Still, you shouldn't have been that rude to your parents! There are so many people that would love to have a family like yours and you just take it for granted!" she argued back. "You are such a cold jerk!"

Suddenly Troy hit the breaks and the car came to a sudden stop. Not expecting this, Gabriella's body leaned violently forward and then, thanks to the seat belts, slammed back to the seat. At the impact, she yelped out and winced in pain.

"You know what?! If I am such a jerk, then you should walk!" Troy said in a cold voice while unlocking the door.

"Well maybe I should." Gabriella exclaimed angrily.

"Fine!" Troy matched her anger.

"Fine!"

"Sure!"

"Sure!" Gabriella opened the door, stepped out and violently slammed it shut. Troy glared at her before starting the car again and setting off.

"Jerk." She muttered while looking at the car's retreating figure. How could he just leave her on the road like that? Now she had to walk all the way back home! Idiot. He was going to pay for this. Screw him, screw the wedding, screw the money. Her dignity was the most important thing. Even though leaving the money did hurt a bit.

"I am not going to their wedding and that's final!" Jack Bolton exclaimed angrily while slamming his fist on the table. The two women sitting opposite of him looked at each other warily and shrugged their shoulders.

"Honey, it's your only son's wedding. Of course you will have to go. Besides Gabriella is an orphan. She won't have any parents there. It's only fair that at least one side of the family attends fully to support them, don't you think?" Lucille said gently while giving a nod to Elizabeth. Gabriella wasn't an orphan but Jack didn't need to know that.

"Also, there would be no one to walk her down the isle. And the poor girl just begged us to let you walk her. She just cried and insisted that you would do her the honor." Elizabeth chipped in. Again, a complete lie. Jack furrowed his eyebrows and thought about this. The girl did look so sweet and innocent. Besides, she wasn't famous either so that was good. And if she insisted, the who was he to refuse. After all, he always wanted to walk his own daughter down the isle. This was close enough.

"We will see." He responded and left the living room.

Troy was still so angry. How could a girl like that make him so furious all the time? No one had ever done that before. But it was getting late and a helpless woman walking alone so far? With that Troy, once again, hit the breaks and made an U turn.

When he arrived at the spot he dropped Gabriella, she was no where in sight. Troy tried driving around. She couldn't disappear that fast could she? He wasn't gone that long. A sudden worry crept onto Troy and he slowly started regretting his decision to kick her out of his car. If he didn't get so angry, they would be sitting at home eating dinner together. Damn him!

After searching for about an hour, Troy decided to go home and wait for Gabriella there. What if she was at home already? She would have just wasted a huge amount of his life! Stupid woman!

Gabriella slammed the front door shut with so much force, it was a miracle that the door didn't break down. Poor innocent thing, and all because of Troy. She decided to leave the house and get as far away as possible from him.

Upstairs, Troy heard the door perfectly. He was relieved she was home and safe, but decided not to do anything. He didn't want her to know he was actually worried sick about her. She would never let him live that down. However, there was another slamming of doors happening after about 10 minutes. What the heck was that? Troy went to the hallway to check but saw nothing except for Gabriella's room door opened. He decided to peek in, but what he saw was unexpected. The whole room was empty. No more clothes lying everywhere that drove him crazy, no more small bottles occupying the table, basically, only furniture was left in the room. All traces of someone occupying the room were gone. Gabriella had moved out! What the fuck?

Ok, so her decision was a bit rushed. A spur of the moment thing, of course she didn't think of everything. Now she had nowhere to go. She couldn't come back to his house. How the heck would she explain that she packed all her things and left, only to come back later? Embarrassing!

Gabriella decided to head to the only place she knew that would cost her nothing and still be decent. That's why she was currently standing in front of an apartment block. The Danforth's apartment on the 12th floor. When she rand the doorbell, Chad opened the door gaping at her like she was an alien.

"What? Never seen a best friend with luggage before? Let me in!" snapped Gabriella irritated. She was still angry at them for all the shit they pulled her through, but they were the only place she could go to. Gabriella squeezed past Chad through the door, purposefully hitting him in the gut by one of the heavier suitcases.

"Gabi! What are you doing here?" Taylor exclaimed in surprise when Gabriella walked into the living room collapsing on the sofa exhausted.

"What does it look like I am doing? I came here because I left my house." She informed them casually as if it was something that occurred daily.

"Wait, does Troy know about it?" asked Chad warily.

"Nope he doesn't and I would appreciate it to stay that way." Gabriella responded while closing her eyes tiredly.

"But isn't the wedding tomorrow?" Taylor yelped out. She didn't want Gabriella to miss that wedding! Not only, will it be good for her, but Chad and Taylor saw a chance for themselves there as well.

"Yes it is, and I changed my mind. I am not getting married to that ass hole. He doesn't know where I am so he cant do anything about it." said Gabriella. She missed the look that Taylor passed to Chad who silently disappeared to their bedroom.

"But we don't want you here!" Taylor said "There is no space and you have to get married!"

"I am not going to ok? Just leave it! And I am staying here, you owe me this much at least!" Gabriella frowned at Taylor, who just closed her eyes and silently prayed for Chad to be able to fix this mess.

Troy was sitting in the living room, stressing over the wedding that was supposed to go on the following day. How was he supposed to carry through it without the bride? He didn't even know where she was so he could talk to her. Damn it. When Gabriella agreed on marrying him, Troy didn't want to waste any time. The sooner the deed was done with, the better. It would help his rumours disappear. He immediately contacted the wedding planners and put everything in their hands.

The wedding was supposed to be huge. A lot of press and famous people. Gabriella didn't have to do anything, not even the dress picking. Everything was set. The company worked fast and therefore, the wedding preparations were done in mere days.

Suddenly, his phone rang and he was eager to answer it. It might have been her.

"Hello?"

"_Hi! This is Chad Danforth. I am Gabriella's best friend."_ Troy frowned. What would her best friend want from him?

"Why are you calling?" he didn't care if he sounded rude. He was currently under too much stress to remember how to be polite.

"_Well, the wedding is tomorrow right? But how can there be a wedding without the bride?" _Chad answered, ignoring Troy.

"What are you saying?" Troy suddenly sit up straighter.

"_I am saying that I know where the bride is and I might even be able to get her to the wedding. But not without something in return."_ Chad smirked into the phone.

"How about you bring her to the wedding venue tomorrow, get her prepared and I will write you a check?" Troy suggested. If this was the person that conned Gabriella, he would only want money. What a pathetic excuse for a best friend!

"_Done and done! See you tomorrow."_ Chad replied and hung up without another word.

"Well that's taken care of." Muttered Troy staring at the phone before snapping it shut and making his way to the bedroom to get some sleep. The groom had to look good for tomorrow. Who ever said that only girls needed their beauty sleep?

**A/N: Hate it? Like it? REVIEW! WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?!?!?**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Last chapter was crappy we know. That's why this one is extra early…Just to say sorry! Btw: How many of u have Twitter?? Follow is Soliloquiz and our friend kristynahoang! She is the one proof-reading and encouraging us!**

**Disclaimer: We own NOTHING out if this…only the plot.**

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Chapter 9

_Previously:_

"_Well that's taken care of." Muttered Troy staring at the phone before snapping it shut and making his way to the bedroom to get some sleep. The groom had to look good for tomorrow. Who ever said that only girls needed their beauty sleep?_

"Come on Gabi! We need to go!" Taylor exclaimed while dragging Gabriella across the room towards the front door. It was the day of the wedding and Gabriella really didn't want to go anywhere. It was depressing to think she would have been a married woman if that jerk didn't kick her out of the car yesterday.

"Where are we going Tay? Why can't I just stay here?" she groaned as she involuntary stepped outside.

"Troy is coming here to get you and obviously, we are hiding you from him!" Taylor told her as they started walking towards Chad's car. Gabriella's eyes widened at this. How did he know where she was?

"Really? Oh god! How did he find out?"

"Beats me! But now we need to get out of here girl." Taylor shrugged and started the car going towards the outskirts of LA. Gabriella threw her a grateful look and stared out of the window thinking about all the 'what ifs'.

When Taylor pulled over, Gabriella looked around. It was a beautiful 5 star hotel with a huge garden in the back. There were unusually many people there. A lot of paparazzi too. Weird. Maybe some extra big star arrived. But was that Angelina Jolie walking in? What was Zac Efron doing here?

"Uhm, Taylor? What are we doing here and why are there so many people?" Gabriella asked unsure. She didn't really want to be here.

"This is where we are hiding! Now come on, I already booked a room for us!" Taylor said ushering Gabriella inside straight towards the elevators.

Gabriella didn't know what was happening. One minute she was being dragged by Taylor towards a room and the next, she was ambushed by about 10 different people. She was far too shocked to do anything or complain.

There was a person pulling her hair, a person plucking her eyebrows and did someone just take her t-shirt off? Everything was so confusing. A moment ago she was standing in her comfortable clothes and prepared to hide away, now she was standing in front of the mirror looking completely different. Maybe a good different. She was staring at her own reflection not knowing how the hell did this happen.

Gabriella's face was completely changed. Make up was put on and her hair was styled. Everything looked so perfect. She was wearing a beautiful white, strapless wedding gown. The tube was laced and the bottom part of the long skirt was too. On top was a silk skirt and the bust was surrounded by a long gold ribbon (**picture in the profile because we suck at describing**). Her hair was done in a side -swept updo with crystal beads and few lose strands of hair around her face. Over all she looked perfect. She could be a bride.

Gabriella froze in shock. Wait a minute! The luxurious hotel, the famous people, the paparazzi, the dress?! This sounded way like a wedding! Taylor tricked her, **again**!

"Unbelievable!" hissed Gabriella. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. She took the skirt in her hands, lifted it up, careful not to step on the beautiful fabric as she made her way to open the door.

Gabriella opened the door revealing Jack Bolton himself, dressed in a tuxedo looking very handsome all together.

"Uh, hi Mr. Bolton. What are you doing here?" Gabriella stammered out. Surprise written all over her face.

"I am here to walk you down the isle Gabriella. By the way, you look really pretty. No wonder my son fell for you." Jack said with a warm smile. Gabriella blushed at the comment. If only he knew. But then she caught up on the first part of the sentence.

"You want to walk me down the isle?" she asked in surprise, tears welling in the eyes. She had to be careful not to ruin her make up so she blinked them away quickly. That was so touching. He was willing to walk her!

"But of course. It's only right for the father to walk his daughter and since your father is not here, I am the next in the line." He told her while offering her his hand. "Shall we?"

Gabriella sobbed once and nodded. Not all Bolton men are idiots after all. Did she really change her mind again? They walked down the hallway to the elevator and down to the hotel's garden. Everything was set and the guests were seated. There was a small orchestra set on the right side.

When the main wedding assistant saw that Gabriella was ready and set to go, she nodded to the band and the Wagner's Bridal March started to play. All the guests turned around and looked at the entrance. Receiving a last reassuring smile from Jack, she hooked her arm to his and took a deep breath.

"It's now or never."

* * *

It was official, she was now Gabriella Bolton, the wife of the biggest movie star and hotshot Troy Bolton.

The wedding had gone smoothly. They said their vows and moved on to the wedding reception. Everyone was there. From Bruno, who still wanted Troy's number, to the Lakers Team. The newlyweds had greeted everyone, mingled and danced until it was time to get to the airport for the honeymoon.

Gabriella was nervous about this. First of all, she didn't even know where they were going because it was a surprise but it obviously involved airplanes and Gabriella didn't really want to repeat what happened the last time she was on a plane with Troy. Second of all, it was obvious what people did on honeymoons and she was curious about will happen on this one. Obviously they were not going to, uhm, you know…

"Where are we going again?" she asked for the hundredth time on their way to the airport.

"You will know when we get to the airport! Now stop asking! I am getting a head ache from you woman!" Troy groaned out while hitting his head against the window of the limo. Everything was finally over and he was really relieved. When Gabriella walked down that isle in the dress, he felt so excited. Too excited if you asked him. He had butterflies in his stomach and when it was her turn to say "I do.", he held his breath waiting for the words to escape from her lips. It was really weird, he had to remind himself that it was all strictly business and the contract ended in six months. Nothing more, nothing less.

"That's not the way to treat your wife." Gabriella teased him.

"Shut up."

"Aw, don't be crampy hubby. We are spending time together god knows where as newlyweds. Isn't that wonderful?" cooed Gabriella while smirking at him.

Troy went to retort but an idea came to his mind and he smirked. Gabriella saw this and her smile was slowly fading away, replaced by an unsure expression.

"Wh-what?"

"Oh you are right. A place, the two of us, all alone…" Troy trailed off while he moved himself closer to her.

"Y-yea? That's…uh…" Gabriella stumbled out while moving a bit further away from him. Troy, however, kept getting closer.

"Amazing? I know. Now let me give you a preview." Troy whispered close to her ear. Gabriella involuntary shivered. Being the writer, she knew that when guys did that, girls shivered. But her shivering was not **that** good.

"What are you doing?! Snap out of it Bolton!" she exclaimed trying to push him off. However, Troy didn't even bulge and chuckled.

"Come on, honey, we are married now. Everyone expects us to be all lovey dovey."

"N-no thank you… I'd rather…n-not." Gabriella stammered out. Troy was getting dangerously close to her lips, she could even feel his breath on her, when the limo stopped.

"We are here Mr. and Mrs. Bolton." The driver informed them before going and taking care of their luggage. Saved by the driver, who would have thought. Gabriella breathed out in relief and quickly got out only to be surrounded by dozens of paparazzi with their cameras.

Troy was right behind her and both of them made their way inside, keeping their heads down and ignoring the questions and flashes, to check in.

* * *

When the couple had arrived at the Atlantis hotel, Gabriella couldn't believe her eyes. Everything was so gorgeous and expensive. The bell boy had taken their stuff and Troy was up at the reception getting their room. She was left in the middle of the lobby to admire the building.

It turned out they were going to the Bahamas for their honeymoon and Gabriella was more than excited for the trip. They had a week of pure paradise and she was looking forward to it, even though she was stuck with the jerk.

After the incident at the limo, the plane ride was quite awkward. Troy was ignoring her and listening to his I pod, which she was grateful about. Gabriella opened her new book and completely lost herself in it for the entire flight.

"Come on Brie, this way." Troy came to her and pointed towards the elevators. Gabriella completely ignored him and went there, but in her mind she couldn't help but point out that he had a nickname for her.

"Fine, be that way, see if I care." He yelled out after her, attracting attention of more than one guest. The thought of Gabriella's face when she will the sleeping arrangements made him chuckle.

"Move your butt slowpoke!" Gabriella exclaimed and pushed the elevator button.

* * *

This couldn't be happening. Someone had to be joking! Maybe because she was kind of famous now, Ashton Kutcher decided to Punk'd her. Damn, she should really stop watching MTV too much.

When they arrived at their floor of their suit and Troy opened the door, Gabriella had been amazed by the room. It was beautiful and obviously cost a fortune. It had everything, a plasma TV, mini bar, a Jacuzzi on the big balcony. The view was amazing and there was another door leading to the bedroom. Gabriella slid the doors open only to reveal…

"One bed?!?!" she yelled out and turned around to Troy with wide eyes.

"Oh, yea. I kinda forgot to tell you about that. Oh well, no biggie. I have no problem sharing the bed with you but if you are afraid then you can take the couch." He said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"No,no,no. I see what you want to do here! You want the bed for yourself! No, way mister! I am so fine with sharing the bed!" Gabriella spat out and went to get her suitcase to unpack.

* * *

"Move over woman! You are taking up too much space!" Troy hissed out while trying to push Gabriella towards the edge of the bed. The two decided to head to the bed early so they could wake up early the next day and go to the beach.

They prepared to bed wordlessly and didn't even wish goodnight to each other before the lights were turned off. After 3 hours of constant tossing around and looking up at the ceiling, Gabriella managed to fall asleep but Troy didn't.

"I said move over!" he exclaimed loudly and gave her a final push. He, however, put in a bit too much power and Gabriella fell out of the bed.

"What the fuck?!" she yelled out and jumped up. "What was that for Bolton?"

"You were taking up too much space! I couldn't sleep because of your constant snoring and is that a drool on your chin?" he retorted with disgust. Gabriella immediately wiped her mouth and huffed.

"Still! You shouldn't have pushed me off the bed! What happened to the waking up? And I do not snore!" she crossed her arms and pouted.

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Shut up!"

"Go away! Go sleep on the couch! I don't want you here!" Troy yelled out white glaring at her.

"No way! This is my bed too! We are married remember?" exclaimed Gabriella while getting back under the comforter.

"Oh I forgot! We are on honeymoon aren't we?" Troy suddenly sit up and smirked. "Well, let's make the most of it shall we?" he said and moved closer to her.

"W-what? No!" Gabriella yelped out when Troy suddenly pinned her to the bed.

"Oh don't be like that! It's time for us to move to the next level right? After all, we are married! It's what married couples do." Whispered Troy while looking straight into her eyes. For a moment, Gabriella forgot how to breath as she stared into his ocean blue orbs, but then she remembered in what position they were and quickly moved out.

"Uh, you know what? I think I am going to sleep on the couch. I don't want to interrupt you with my snoring." She said quickly, grabbing a pillow and running to the living room. Troy stared after her and laughed quietly.

"Aw, works every time." He mumbled and went to sleep. Troy Bolton 1, Gabriella Bolton 0.

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A/N: Done and done! Review!


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey guys! Here is the next chapter! Enjoy and REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer: We own nothing k?**

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Chapter 10

_Previously:_

"_Aw, works every time." He mumbled and went to sleep. Troy Bolton 1, Gabriella Bolton 0._

Being in paradise and a 5 star hotel resort, you would think that there are plenty of things to do. There were but the activities were mostly for more than one person to do. That's why Gabriella was currently sitting in the hotel room bored to death. Troy went swimming and she was watching TV.

Troy opened the door and came to sight of Gabriella lying on the couch clearly staring at the screen without taking anything in. A sign of pure boredom.

"What the hell are you doing sitting here! Why aren't you at the beach tanning or whatever it is you girls do there?"

Gabriella noticed him come in and heard him speak, but since the incident from last night, she decided to ignore him. Troy waited for her answer but when he saw he would be getting none, he went into the bathroom to take a shower and change.

When he came out after half an hour, yea why the hell was he there so long (?!), he found Gabriella in the exact same position he left her in. Rolling his eyes, he came in front of the TV and blocked her view. Gabriella didn't even react and kept staring as if he wasn't sitting there. Second sign of boredom.

"I am going to the city, maybe see the market and few sights, you coming?" he asked. That made Gabriella get out of her trance. She loved sight seeing and she really wanted to get out of the room. The drawback was that she would have to spend her afternoon with this jerk of a husband she had. Boredom or Troy? Very difficult to choose. After a while of thinking about all the pros and cons, Gabriella nodded in agreement.

"Wait here, I am just going to change into something else." She told him while looking at her very short shorts and tank top. Troy rolled his eyes and sat down on the couch previously taken by his 'beloved' wife.

"Fine, but don't take ages. There is no one to impress." He called after her.

"That's why you only took half an hour in the bathroom didn't you?" asked Gabriella sarcastically while rummaging through the closet.

"Shut up, I am a star. I have to look perfect everywhere, even though I already do, naturally. But few touches never hurt anyone right?" he told her cockily.

"Idiot." Mumbled Gabriella while putting on her selected clothes. She chose to wear a light yellow, strapless baby doll tank top, jean shorts and light yellow ballet flats.

"I'm done! Let's go!" she skipped to the door while grabbing her purse.

"Took you long enough." Troy muttered. The two of them made their way down to the lobby and out of the hotel. When they came to the transportation booth, Troy went to talk to the men. Gabriella was standing and enjoying the light sea breeze when Troy came to her with two bicycles.

"What is this?" she asked confused.

"Bicycles." Troy said and looked at her weirdly. What kind of a person doesn't know what a bicycle is?

"I know that, idiot. Let me rephrase my question. Why do you have bicycles?"

"That's how we are getting into town. It was this or walking because all the scooters are taken." He informed her.

"Uh, you know what? I don't really like biking, I think I will walk." Gabriella said somewhat nervously while eyeing the vehicles.

"Are you serious? It's quite far from here and I want to get there today. Just take the bike. Next time I will make sure to reserve a scooter." Troy said while handing her one of the bikes.

"Ac-actually," Gabriella started while holding the bike carefully. "I don't know how to ride a bicycle." She finished while looking down. Troy suddenly burst out laughing and tipping his head back. Gabriella glared at him.

"Stop laughing! It's not funny!" she whined while slapping Troy's chest. Troy stopped but still chuckled a bit.

"You know what? Let's go to the town tomorrow. I will teach you how to ride a bike today." He said seriously. Gabriella's eyes widened and she blushed. She didn't expect that from him. It was kind of…sweet.

"You will? That's, uh… thank you!" she said in disbelief and followed him to an open grassy area.

* * *

"You are an idiot! How hard is it to keep balance?" Troy yelled at Gabriella for the hundredth time that day. They started with the basics but Gabriella couldn't get the hang of it and kept falling down. Troy wasn't the most patient person in the world and his patience was currently being tested and stretched to the furthest. His anger was bubbling and everything was threatening to explode.

"I don't know! I just can't do it! It's your fault anyway, you should be a better teacher!" Gabriella yelled in the same amount of anger. She really tried but kept getting it wrong.

"Whatever, you are just dumb. Get on." He brushed her off and helped her get onto the bike again. Gabriella pushed herself off and started pedaling. This time, she didn't fall immediately and went quite far. However, she quickly remembered that she didn't know how to stop.

"How the heck do you stop this? Troy! Help me! I cant stop!" she cried out and panicked. This caused her to lose balance and fall again. Troy came over with a big smirk on his face.

"Seriously, how hard is it to squeeze the brakes? Even a small child could do it. You are really stupid." He snorted while helping her up.

"Not my fault! You are an idiot yourself! What if I fell and broke something? Is this how you treat your wife huh?" Gabriella yelled out in frustration and tears started to well up in her eyes. She crossed her eyes and pouted like a small child throwing and tantrum.

If Troy didn't see the tears in her eyes, he would have laughed at the childishness, but upon seeing the pools welling up, he stopped himself and guilt washed over him.

"Look Brie, I am sorry ok? Don't be like that, don't cry." He said in a soft tone trying to look into her eyes. She, however, kept turning away from him. Troy sighed and looked down. "How about I buy you some ice cream huh? My treat! You can eat as much as you want." He said brightening up at the idea.

"I am not some child you can corrupt with ice cream you know!" Gabriella mumbled while glaring at him. At least she looked at him.

"Oh, come on! Let's go." Troy ignored her remark and dragged her to the ice cream parlor. The two of them got ice cream and sat down on the beach.

"You know I am still mad at you right?" Gabriella told him while licking her Strawberry ice cream. "Oh gosh this is so good." She gushed. Troy only chuckled and kept eating his.

* * *

"Aw, it's good to be home!" Gabriella yelled out when Troy unlocked the doors of their house in LA.

The pair had spent the rest of the week in Bahamas sight seeing and shopping. The day after Troy tried to teach Gabriella how to ride a bike, they rented a scooter and Troy drove them to the town. Both came back tan and somewhat happy. The whole vacation was great, but it was time for them to face the real world of paparazzi and spotlight.

"Whatever just start cleaning up. I see dust everywhere, it's disgusting." Troy said while bringing in all of their things, which grew two times bigger thanks to the many new things they purchased. Gabriella just rolled her eyes and went to unpack and clean the house.

She was in the mist of folding the laundry when Troy called her into the living room.

"What do you want? I am busy." She asked him while descending the stairs.

"Just come here! I have a surprise for you!" Troy yelled back. Curious, Gabriella made her way into the room where Troy stood with his hand in the back clearly hiding something from her in his hands.

"What is it?" she asked while trying to look behind his back. Troy wordlessly took the box and gave it to her. Double taking it, Gabriella's eyes widened in shock. It was the newest model of a Tablet PC laptop.

".God!" she breathed out while looking at the package.

"I noticed you wrote stories with that crappy old thing you call a laptop and as my wife you cant be seen with anything like that. So there, that's for you." Troy said while rolling his eyes at how eager she was to open it.

"Thank you!" Gabriella yelped out and hugged him without thinking. Troy not expecting this froze in shock but slowly returned the hug. Suddenly Gabriella realized what she was doing and pulled back hurriedly.

"Oh god, sorry! I, uh, didn't mean to." She mumbled out while blushing profusely.

"It's… never mind." Troy said while rubbing the back of his neck. Remembering something, he quickly pulled her towards the glass door towards the back yard. "I have something else for you!"

When they went out, Gabriella looked around confusedly. What the heck?

"Uh, thanks, but what is it?" Troy sighed impatiently and pointed to the back part of the yard. Gabriella followed his finger and saw a brand new bike standing there.

"You got me a bicycle?" she gasped while running towards it.

"Yea, I figured we could continue in the lessons. Afterall, you need to know how to ride a bike. You never know when it comes in handy."

* * *

"Now, put your hand in the pocket and look at the camera." The photographer continued to give the male model directions.

Sharpay was standing and watching on the sidelines. Her new line of male clothes was currently on a photo shoot. However, she still felt like something was missing but she couldn't put a finger on it.

"Hunch your shoulders a bit and look to the right with a serious expression." the orders kept flowing and the sound of camera clicking was constant.

She frowned. If Troy was here, he would have looked different. Even better than the male model. Her clothes always looked best on him. Suddenly, a thought occurred in her head and she walked out of the room. Sliding her phone open, she dialed the familiar number and waited for the person to pick up.

* * *

Troy was reading the newspaper when his phone rang. Snapping it open, he didn't bother to look at the ID and picked up.

"Talk to me."

"_Well hello to you too Troy. Long time no talking. How are you_?" the oh so familiar voice said and Troy froze in his seat.

"What do you want Sharpay?" he snarled.

"_How do you feel about modeling my new clothing line? Just few photos is all. Nothing big." _Troy was angry. She treated him like nothing during that party, telling him she loves another man and now she acts like it never happened? Troy was trying to get over her and forget all about her. Why would he comply?

"No." he said without thinking and hung up. How dare she. Frustrated, Troy decided to go for a run that he had neglected during the few days of his a Gabriella's 'honeymoon'.

* * *

"What are you doing right now?" Troy asked Gabriella after he returned from his run and showered.

"Well, I am done cleaning, so I figured I could start on dinner?" Gabriella said while checking her cell for any messages. None.

"Nonsense. It's like 4 in the afternoon. Who eats this early?"

"I do, you got a problem with that?"

"Yea I do! Come on, it's time we put that bike to use." Troy said and dragged her to the back garden. Gabriella wordlessly followed him, inside excited to try again

Two hours of fooling around in the yard and trying to cycle had passed so quickly, neither of them realized the time.

"Ahh, be careful! I am going to fall into the pool if we practice too close to it!" Gabriella laughed out loud.

"Yea well maybe I will help out a bit and push you." Chuckled Troy while slowly getting near her.

"Don't you dare Bolton! I go fall and we both go down!" Gabriella threatened while giggling. In that moment Troy pushed her but Gabriella reacted fast and grabbed his wrist. Both of them fell into the pool laughing.

When they resurfaced, Gabriella splashed some water into Troy's face and giggled.

"Really Bolton? Really? You just had to push me right? Now both of us are wet!" she joked with him carelessly. Troy couldn't help but notice how nice her laugh sounded and made him smile even more.

"So what? You need a shower anyway, you stink!" He said back and Gabriella pretended to gasp dramatically.

"I do not stink! You are the one doing all the exercise. Your body odor is like…" Gabriella trailed of not knowing what to say.

"Like what?" Troy asked her, daring her. Unknowingly to both of them, they were getting closer and closer together.

"Uhm, like fish!" Gabriella said, suddenly aware of Troy's ocean blue eyes. What was she saying again?

In return, Troy stared into pools of chocolate. He decided quickly that it was his favourite food and color. What other taste existed again? They were so close, almost too close. Gabriella could feel his breath on her lips and it tickled her.

They were about to connect lips when the doorbell could be heard. They quickly sprung apart and wordlessly swam to the edge of the pool. Damn the person who was at the door.

Quickly running to into the bathroom, Gabriella brought out two towels for her and Troy. Without looking at him, she gave it to him and they made their way to the front door. Gabriella still didn't dare to look anywhere else but the floor as she was sure her face was the color of a tomato stood next to Troy who opened the door revealing Sharpay.

"Hello you two. Am I interrupting something?" she asked with a smirk looking between the couple.

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A/N: Cut! So? How was it??? REVIEW!


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: we were on yet another vacation and believe it or not, cruises don't have internet. SORRY! Glad u liked ch.10. Drama is COMING! Promise :P **

**Pinkie0496 said we update WAY too fast :D that's thanx to ur reviews guys! Keep them coming! 3**

**Disclaimer: this gets old but we don't own anything.**

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Chapter 11

_Previously:_

"_Hello you two. Am I interrupting something?" she asked with a smirk looking between the couple._

She couldn't believe it. What the hell just happened in the pool? It was all confusing, one moment they were fooling around and the next they were so close together! It was absurd. This whole thing was just a contract, a show, nothing more nothing less. Yet, they almost kissed.

Gabriella shook her head to get rid of her thoughts while she waited for the water to boil. She went into the kitchen to prepare some snacks after they had invited Sharpay to come in. Has she not appeared, Gabriella didn't know what would happen. Perhaps they would… She caught her thoughts again before they wandered off too far and started making tea.

* * *

It was awkward, yet there was no way to avoid it. It shouldn't be like this considering the fact that they had known each other for so long already but the silence was unavoidable.

Sharpay looked around the living room and smiled slightly at Troy. She had come to give him a piece of her mind after he had hung up on her so rudely but when she arrived at the house, she heard splashing and screaming and laughter. That changed her plans immediately. There was no need to be angry at him. Not yet.

"I heard from your manager that you moved down here. Why didn't you tell me?" she asked warmly while looking expectantly at Troy, a small pout dancing on her flawless face.

"I told you before but it was not important enough for you to remember or notice I see." Troy said in a cold, annoyed tone.

"What?" she gasped. This sent Sharpay in shock. No one had ever dared to treat her like that, or talk to her like that for that matter. "I - I think you are busy so I am not going to intrude and leave." She said, quickly gathered her things and stood up about to walk to the front door when Gabriella came in with a tray of cups and plates with cookies.

"Ah, Sharpay, I was just bringing…" she didn't even get to finish when Sharpay glared at her and stomped out of the house. Not knowing what just happened, she set the tray on the coffee table and sighed.

"Well that went well…" she trailed off while observing Troy, who just sat there as if nothing had happened. She didn't even have time to question him, when her phone rang.

"Hello?" she said and listened to what the person on the other end had to say.

"Really?" Troy had observed how excited she looked after she heard what they said.

"Are you serious?" her voice added in excitement and she started walking in front of him. Troy's face became more and more confused as the time passed.

"Oh my god, that's so great! I will definitely come, thank you so much!" she said with a wide smile and hung up. She seemed to glow and Troy looked at her questioningly.

"Who was that?" he asked carefully.

"That was the publishing company I gave my story to! They said it was very good and they want to meet me!" she informed him in a rush. "So I am going to head there now if you don't mind."

"Take the bus because I don't want to waste my time being your driver." He replied while texting on the phone. The old Troy was back, no traces of this afternoon.

"Don't worry! I wasn't planning to ask you anyway." Gabriella scoffed and turned on her heals to head upstairs to change. "Jerk." She mumbled.

"I heard that!" Troy called after her without glancing up.

"Real jerk." She whispered while rushing upstairs. It was her time to shine.

* * *

"Mother fucking idiots!" Gabriella yelled out in the middle of the street after she had emerged from a tall building. Receiving glares from the people around, she stomped to the nearest Starbucks and called for a caramel latte, her favourite.

The meeting didn't go as well as she expected. She met up with the publishers and started talking. Turned out they didn't even read her story but they read about her marriage to the famous Troy Bolton. Idiots weren't even interested in publishing her story. They asked her to write a story for them. Not just any story. It was supposed to be story about her 'husband' Troy Bolton.

"The Secret Life Of The Biggest Hollywood Star my ass." She fumed. How dare they ask her to do that? So she politely asked them to give her back her manuscript and then slammed the door shut after her. That brought her where she was at the moment. Sitting in Starbuck, having a burned tongue as she was too angry to notice how steaming hot the Latte was.

"Bastards! I have a burned tongue now, all because of them!" she talked to herself. First sign of madness. What was she supposed to do now? If no one published her story, her dream of becoming the next Jane Austen or J.K. Rowling was not going to come true! She would even settle for Stephanie Meyer if it meant some money and recognition! Sad!

She should have given her story to more publishing companies than one. Stupid her for thinking that they would take it immediately. Thinking about the party, a thought came to her.

"Ryan Evans." She mumbled and stood up quickly, gathering her things. Calling a cab, she gave the driver the address and hoped her plan would work.

* * *

"I am sorry, but Mr. Evans is currently at a meeting so he can't see you." A sympathetic secretary informed Gabriella. Damn it, her timing was always the worst. Almost like Sharpay's, a small voice told her but she pushed it to the back.

"Well can I at least leave something here for him?" she asked while taking her manuscript out.

"Of course miss, just leave it here with your name and contact and I will make sure Mr. Evans receives it as soon as possible."

"Thank you." Gabriella smiled at her and handed her a big manila envelope with a note attached to it.

After she had left Starbucks, she decided to go and see Ryan. After all, he was in the publishing business as well. He could help her right? However, when she arrived, Ryan was not there and she had to settle for trusting the secretary with her precious work so he could read it later. Heading back home, she waited at the bus stop. No need to waste more money on a taxi, bus was just fine. Suddenly, her phone beeped, indicating she had a text.

_Gabriella, I got your envelope. I am very happy to hear from you. Talk to you soon. Ryan Evans_

She smiled and slipped her phone back into her handbag while standing in the line to get onto the bus.

* * *

"Troy!" Gabriella called out as she closed the front door. There was no response but she was sure his car was in the driveway. She walked into the living room and saw that the back yard glass doors were open. When she stepped outside, she couldn't help but giggle quietly. There, on the bench was Troy sleeping with a book to cover his face.

"Hah, The Secret Life Of The Biggest Hollywood Star: All he does is eat, sleep and exercise." She snickered and walked over to him.

"Move it superstar." She said loudly while shaking him so he would wake up. Troy immediately opened his eyes and knocked the book down. He moved over and Gabriella sat down next to him.

"So how did the meeting go? They didn't accept it did they? I knew it, it was that good of a story anyway." He said with a smirk. Gabriella glared at him but kept her mouth shut. Looking around, she spotted something shiny in the grass. Standing up, she walked towards and bent down to pick the object up.

"Oh god! That's the ring you threw away! My day isn't that bad after all, I can keep this now!" she yelped out and turned to Troy to show him her prize.

"Give it to me!" he exclaimed and moved towards Gabriella who was clutching the ring strongly in her hand.

"Nu-uh, last time I told you that the next time I find it, it's going to be a keeper!" she said while backing up. Troy, however, ignored her and grabbed her hand, trying to pry the ring of her fingers.

"Give it!"

"No!"

"I said hand it over!"

"Never!"

".!" Troy said while pulling on her hand violently. Gabriella wasn't prepared to lose and so she bent her head and bit Troy's hand hard. Troy yelped out in pain and dropped her hands, clutching his own and staring at her in shock. Mr. Bolton 1, Mrs. Bolton 1.

"What the hell woman! You fucking bit me!" he said while pointing at her with his good hand.

"You didn't want to give me the ring! I had no choice!" Gabriella defended herself while trying not to burst in laughter. This made Troy even more furious. He straightened out and glared at her.

"Get out of my house!" he said while she froze in shock. Ha! Who was winning now?

"What?" she asked with wide eyes.

"You heard me! Get out of my house! I don't know what I was thinking before but your bite has certainly brought me back to my senses. I don't want to live with some homeless person!" Troy said while picking his previously fallen book up.

"Actually, you are the one who has to leave. This is my house remember? The contract clearly states that in the even of divorce, the house belongs to me." Gabriella smirked and folded her arms.

"I know, but we are not divorcing. You are simply not living here anymore." Damn it! Troy Bolton 2, Gabriella Bolton 1.

"Fine!" She yelled out and went into the house to pack. What an idiot! How can anyone kick their own wife out of the house?

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"What do you think you are doing here with all those bags Gabriella?" Taylor exclaimed when she opened the door only to see her best friends standing there with bags around her.

"I am moving in here, what do you think?" she snapped back and began to bring all her stuff into the room.

"What the hell?" Chad asked in shock when he saw her.

"You can't stay here Gabi! What about your husband huh? You two are married!" Taylor tried to reason with her while sitting down on the sofa.

"I don't care what my 'husband' thinks." she said the word 'husband' sarcastically. "Besides, it's your fault I am married to him now anyway! How dare you trick me again! I haven't forgiven you about that yet!" Chad and Taylor exchanged scared looks and stared at Gabriella again.

"Anyway! You can't stay here!" Taylor said eyeing her friend carefully.

"No? Then give me back all my money! Come on! Give me back everything you owe me! Every single fucking cent!" demanded Gabriella while holding her hand out. This seemed to get her best friend moving.

"I will prepare the guest bedroom." Chad yelped out and immediately started moving. Taylor run into the kitchen and brought out a plate of brownies for Gabriella who smiled in satisfaction.

"Much better." She said with a smirk. Suddenly her phone rang, it was the publisher company from earlier that they. She sighed and picked up.

"Hello?"

"_Hello, Mrs. Bolton. We are calling to ask you about the story we wanted you to write? Perhaps you had changed your mind?" _

"No I haven't changed my mind! And for your information, me and Troy Bolton are no longer in contact, so if you please leave me the fuck alone!" she said angrily and hung up. Idiots didn't get the message the first time, did they?

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Troy sighed in frustration. It was so boring at home! So quiet! Usually, the house was filled with music or some kind of noise Gabriella was doing. Now, there was nothing. Not that he missed her, he reminded himself quickly. That would be absurd.

Walking aimlessly around the house, he came to a sudden stop in front of Gabriella's room. Hesitating for a bit, he pushed the door open and walked in. Everything was so clean, no clothes lying around as usual, no papers on the desk. Only a calendar. Troy focused on the calendar and saw one window with a red writing in it. Coming closer to see, it said: _My Birthday!_

Startled, Troy immediately walked out of the room and closed the door shut.

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"What is this Troy?!" Harry threw a magazine at Troy as soon as he walked into the office. Troy looked at the cover confusedly and his eyes widened in shock.

**Troyella break up! **It screamed with a photo of two of them on their wedding day but with a tear in between them.

"How could that happen? I thought that after the marriage, there would be no more scandals!" Harry exclaimed in furry. This was a very strange déjà vu, how did he always end up yelling at Troy for his scandals?

"I have no idea ok? Just do something about it, but the break up is no true, I swear." Troy said while reading the article inside. Who did this? Harry closed his eyes and exhaled deeply.

"Fine. Now, why did you say no to Sharpay's photo shoot? Don't you know how good of an opportunity it is?"

"I don't feel like doing it that's all and I still don't want to." Troy answered casually, still reading.

"You are doing it, there is no question about it. This is business and I am telling you to go!" Harry said with a sense of authority in his voice. Troy wordlessly rose from his seat, threw the magazine aside and walked out.

"I expect to hear from Sharpay soon!" his manager called out after him.

* * *

"Seriously, when you called me, I was a little startled. I thought you didn't want to do the shoot." Sharpay said with a smile while sipping her apple martini.

"Well I changed my mind." Troy mumbled while playing with his glass, not looking at her.

"Troy, look at me. Am I the most important and special person in your life?" she asked bluntly. Troy looked at her in shock and stayed quiet. Sharpay was looking at him expectantly while he contemplated on the answer.

"Yea, you are." Troy admitted with a sigh and looked back down at the glass in front of him, clearly embarrassed. Sharpay took his chin an forced him to look at her.

"No matter what I do, I am the most important person in your life. Forget that and you will be in trouble."

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A/N: Like it? Love it? Review!!!!


	12. Chapter 12

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A/N: Thanx for the reviews people. We want to put together a soundtrack for the story! Help?

**Disclaimer: Nothing is ours!**

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Chapter 12

_Previously:_

"_No matter what I do, I am the most important person in your life. Forget that and you will be in trouble."_

Gabriella was currently arguing with Taylor about if apples should come on top or oranges in the fruit basket when her phone rang.

"Hello?" she held up one finger to Taylor to indicate the phone call would take only a minute and then they could go back to their 'opinion clash'.

"_Hi, this is Harry, Troy's manager. You are Gabriella Mon…I mean Bolton right?"_

"Yes, that's me."

"_Well I was thinking. We never met properly and it's about time we do. The whole team would love to meet you as well, what do you say?"_

"Uh, yea! That would be great!" Gabriella said hesitantly. Where the heck did that come from?

"_Excellent! So how about you make us all lunch and bring it to the New West LA Studio? We can easily bond there when we have a lunch break at noon!" _Gabriella's eyes widened at this. Noon? Today? She looked at the clock, it was 9 am so she had about 3 hours. Not much, but hopefully enough.

"Yea, sure. I will see you then!" she hung up and sighed.

"What was that all about?" Taylor asked curiously, completely forgetting about apples and oranges.

"Troy's manager just called. He wants to have lunch with me, but I have to make it." Gabriella said while beginning to hyperventilate. The whole thing just sank into her brain and she realized what she was in for.

"Oh my gosh! Troy's manager just called. He wants to have lunch with me, but I have to make it! Taylor! What am I supposed to do? Oh my god!"

"First, breath properly, we don't want you to miss the lunch do we? Second, what are you going to make? I am going to help you if you want." Taylor said calmly. Gabriella took in few deep breaths and gradually started to calm down. She gave her best friend a grateful look and started thinking about the food. She could make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches…

"No! Don't even think about Pb&js Gabriella! That doesn't cut it." Taylor exclaimed, knowing exactly what was in her head. Gabriella glared at her but continued musing. So peanut butter and jelly was out of question.

"I got it! Montez's famous Turkey and Bacon Wraps!" Gabriella yelled out excitedly. It was the family's special recipe, but basically it was turkey and bacon in tortillas. Upon hearing the idea, Taylor's eyes lit up. She haven't had any of that in years and only the thought of them made her mouth water.

"Can you make more of them? I don't feel like cooking anything for lunch and Chad is coming soon." Taylor pleaded while imagining the taste of the heavenly food.

"Maybe, but we need to go grocery shopping first. Hurry!" Gabriella replied speed walking towards the front door with Taylor in tow.

* * *

"Here we go…" muttered Gabriella while pushing the doors of the studio open. After the much needed grocery shopping, her and Taylor began making the wraps. It was a lot of fun and Gabriella discovered that she missed those days when only the two of them spent time together and bonding.

Inside, she was met by a lot of people running around and organizing things around. No one seemed to notice her there and so Gabriella made her way further inside. Her eyes suddenly widened when she saw Troy standing in the middle of a crowd of people that constantly rearranged him and put make up on him. Further away was a camera and a stack of clothes right next to it.

Then it hit her. Troy's manager, Troy, camera, clothes… It was a photo shoot! With Troy in it! Putting the basket with the food on the coffee table, Gabriella turned around and tried to quickly get to the exit. She was about to touch the door knob when someone called her.

"Gabriella! Thank god you are here!" Harry yelled out causing more than one person to stop at their work and look at her. Quietly cursing, she turned around and smiled at the approaching man.

"Hi. You must be Harry?" she said, shaking hands with him.

"Of course I am! Who else would I be?" he laughed and led her towards the center of the room. There, he turned around and smiled reassuringly at Gabriella.

"Everyone! This is Gabriella Bolton as you may know and she was kind enough to make is lunch!" Harry said in a loud voice. Receiving positive murmurs and 'Thank you's from everyone, Gabriella blushed and turned to look at Troy. He was staring at her in shock, completely ignoring that the photographer was talking to him.

"Troy! Why don't you come here man and have some lunch?" Harry called after him. Troy wordlessly moved towards them without breaking the eye contact with Gabriella. Both of them looked away when they were pushed to sit together on a sofa. The basket full of food was being passed around the room and each person took one.

The 'Boltons' were eating quietly and stealing glances at each other. No word was uttered since Gabriella's arrival and Harry didn't like that. This part wasn't in his master plan and he had to do something. Calling the photographer over, he pointed and the couple.

"Take a few photos of them would you?" Gabriella and Troy looked at them in shock. What the…? "You two!" Harry pointed at them "don't sit there just like that! Do something!"

Gabriella was still staring at the man with wide eyes when Troy leaned towards her.

"Close your mouth and stop staring, you look like a freak." He whispered to her lowly while the photographer snapped pictures. Gabriella recomposed herself and smiled sweetly.

"I hope you choke on your food." She whispered back into his ear while putting a hand on his shoulder. Troy couldn't do anything but glare at her.

"That was cute!" the photographer gushed at the couple. "Gabriella, why don't you feed Troy huh?" upon hearing this, Troy choked on his bite and Gabriella almost spat out her wrap. Troy was still chocking and coughing when Gabriella realized she won and smirked at him. What was the score? Oh yea, 2 for both.

"But of course." Gabriella smiled sweetly and turned to Troy. "Open your mouth honey!" she said while holding her lunch up. Troy swallowed and opened his mouth. Gabriella, not waiting for anything, shoved half of the wrap into his mouth while everyone awed at how cute they were.

Troy, glaring at Gabriella with a full mouth, forced his portion into her mouth and smiled triumphantly. Both of them were trying to chew down their mouthfuls while making faces at each other. Harry only laughed and mentally congratulated himself. He was a genius!

"Troy, why don't you kiss Gabriella? This was all cute but we are not in kindergarten." The photographer called out. Looks like Harry was not the only genius in the room.

Before Gabriella could react, Troy pressed his lips against hers and the camera snaps could be heard in the background. As fast as the kiss started, it also ended and Troy continued eating his lunch as if nothing had happened. Gabriella slowly munched on the tortilla while blushing profusely.

Everyone around laughed at the couple and gushed about how cute they were together. Everyone except one person. The platinum blonde threw her Wrap into the trash bin and stormed out of the studio, not caring that it was her clothing line in there, not caring that it was her responsibility and her time to shine. The only thought and image in her head was the kiss.

* * *

After lunch, Troy went back to his photo shoot while Gabriella and Harry stood on the sidelines and watched.

"You know, at the Magazine Launching party, Troy gave me this manuscript of a story from some author. I told him I would look at it and see what we could do about it." Harry told her while they were watching Troy work. Gabriella's interest suddenly rose. Was it her story?

"Yea? And what did you think about it?" she asked in what was supposed to be a casual voice.

"Just between you and me, I think the story sucked big time. I mean I couldn't even finish reading it because of how awful it was!" Harry lowered his voice as if telling her a secret. Gabriella frowned at this. He said her story sucked!

"Are you sure? Maybe you are a little biased. I mean, it shouldn't be that bad if Troy Bolton himself brought it to you right?" she tried to reason with him.

"I thought that too, but you should see the story! It was so bad I cant even begin to describe it." Harry shuddered at the very thought of reading it again.

"Well I bet it is amazing! You just don't see the good in it." Gabriella defended herself. Harry looked at her weirdly but decided to drop the subject and looked back at Troy.

"Ready?" Troy asked Gabriella half an hour later when he changed back into his clothes. The photo shoot was done and Gabriella waited for him to go home. Yes, she decided to move back in even though they didn't talk about it. She called Chad and asked him to bring all of her stuff back to the house. He was more than happy to do that after the wraps and the very thought of no more Gabriella in the house.

"Yup, let's go home!" she nodded and together, they walked out to the streets of downtown LA.

* * *

"Morning…" Gabriella yawned while walking into the kitchen. Suddenly she stopped dead in tracks. Troy was already sitting there with a coffee and newspaper in hand. Something she had never seen before.

"Good Morning! Where is my breakfast?" Troy asked with a smile. Gabriella rolled her eyes, at least something didn't change. Taking out everything she needed to make the morning dishes, she started working while humming. Troy observed her quietly and sipped his coffee.

Both of them started their breakfast when Troy decided to break the silence.

"Where is the cake?" Gabriella looked at him like he had grown a second head.

"Why should there be a cake? Is it your birthday or something?" Troy smirked at her and chewed his pancake before swallowing.

"Nope, but it's yours." He said casually. How could anyone forget their own birthday was beyond him. Gabriella stared at him for few seconds before her eyes lit up and a big smile appeared on her face.

"You are right! It's my birthday today!" she exclaimed excitedly almost bouncing in her seat.

"I want to go to Disney Land with Chad and Taylor!" she said suddenly. Troy looked at her feeling a bit hurt.

"Just the three of you? What about me?" he asked before he could even realize what he was saying the words had already left his lips. Gabriella shrugged and replied.

"Sure, I mean, you could come too if you wanted I guess. It's just that, are you sure? With all the fans and stuff following you?"

"I don't want to go to some lame Disney Land anyway. Besides I have a lot of things to do today in my office." Troy replied quickly and shoved a spoonful of scrambled eggs in his mouth. Gabriella glared at him but continued to eat happily.

* * *

"Hey Taylor! Yea I know! It's my birthday can you believe it?" Gabriella yelled into the phone excitedly.

"So I was thinking, you, Chad, me and Disney Land!" she smiled broadly while cleaning the steps of the stairs.

"Yea, sure! Don't forget to tell Chad then k? See you at 11!" she hung up and started singing Happy Birthday quietly to herself.

"Move!" Troy told her while walking down the stairs. Gabriella scoffed but moved anyway and continued as if nothing had happened. No one was going to ruin her birthday today. Not even Troy.

"I am leaving for work now!" he called out and slammed the door shut. Gabriella just shook her head and stood up. Suddenly her phone rang _Ryan Evans Calling_

"Hello?" Gabriella answered in a happy voice.

"_Hey Gabriella! I called to talk to you about the story you gave me. Can we meet up?" _Ryan asked. Gabriella frowned, it was her birthday and she wanted to go with her friends.

"Uhm, I am actually busy today but can we meet up another day?" she asked in hope.

"_Oh, I am afraid I cant do that. I am very busy and this is the only day I have some time."_

"Fine, I will just rearrange my schedule then. Thank you." Gabriella sighed and hung up. Career was her number one priority and if that meant missing her birthday then so be it. She took a deep breath and dialed Taylor's number.

* * *

"Thanks for meeting up with me Ryan." Gabriella said while shaking his hand and sitting down in of the chairs opposite of him.

"Yup, now about the story." Ryan began and frowned. Gabriella looked at him excitedly and nodded for him to continue.

"I am sorry, but it was just painful to read. In other words, it was bad." He blurted out wincing. Gabriella blinked twice and looked at him sadly.

"I don't understand." She mumbled.

"The narrative is bad and the whole thing is just simply awful. I cant do anything with it." This angered Gabriella. He was the second person in few days to tell her how much she sucked and she was sick of it.

"I don't care! It doesn't matter if you think it is good or bad! I am going to continue writing till the day I die and even after that I am going to be writing!" she yelled out and stood up. She started walking towards the door.

"Wait! Your story, wasn't, uhm, **that** bad. I am sure we can work something out!" Ryan stopped her.

"What are you saying?" she asked him, turning around.

"I am offering you a job. Your task is to write a new story. I want you to give me a synopsis every week and if it's really good, I will make it into a movie. What do you say?" Ryan asked with a smile.

"Are you serious? Okay!" Gabriella nodded enthusiastically. That was an opportunity she would never miss. "And I am sorry about my earlier outburst. I didn't mean to." She chuckled awkwardly.

"Don't think about that. How about a lunch? A celebration for you getting a job." He waved his hand dismissively. Gabriella agreed and both of them made their way towards the elevators.

* * *

Troy Bolton was official the most bored person in the whole entire universe in the moment. The words 'bored to death' should never be taken lightly again because Troy seriously felt like he was dying and he couldn't do anything about it.

He had already read through every single newspaper that his office provided, all the comic books and did all the quizzes and puzzles in the magazines. Apparently his season is spring and his Harry Potter girlfriend is Hermione. But that was beside the point! He had absolutely nothing to do! He had even played all the games on his phone! How pathetic is that???

There was no work for him in the office, despite what he told Gabriella. He just didn't want seem like a loser, inviting himself to go with her and her friends. But then, she was his wife right? He had every right to go with her and that's what he will do! Troy decided and stood up. Immediately he walked to his car and drove towards Anaheim where the amusement park was located.

Upon arriving there, Troy realized two things: one, the place was ginormous and he had no idea where Gabriella was. Two, this place was swarmed with teenage crazy fans that loved him. There would be no way he could walk amongst them unrecognized.

That is going to be a heck of a long day.

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A/N: we gotta go! REVIEW because the next chapter includes Troy's adventure in Disney Land and u don't want to miss that :P


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: the reason this update is so late? YOUR reviews…come on! 5?!? Really guys…this is maddening and disappointing. So next time, spend the 3 minutes of your life please. Cause there is LOADS of drama coming and u surely don't want to miss it.**

**Special shout out to Whirlergirl who reviews first every single time!**

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Disclaimer: We own nothing.

**Chapter 13**

_Previously:_

_Upon arriving there, Troy realized two things: one, the place was ginormous and he had no idea where Gabriella was. Two, this place was swarmed with teenage crazy fans that loved him. There would be no way he could walk amongst them unrecognized._

_That is going to be a heck of a long day._

If you decide to become famous, you will have to accept the fact that with the fame come the crazy fans and hours of running -running away from the fans. You are also being introduced to another world, the world of disguises.

Troy Bolton new exactly what disguises meant, he was expert in them too and so, when he stepped into the Disney Land, he made sure he wore something that would make sure no one recognized him. You would think hats, glasses, moustaches or wigs. But don't forget this was Troy Bolton so in this case it was a rubber Mickey Mouse mask.

The mask worked perfectly for Troy. It covered his whole face and his great hair too. Since this was Disney Land, there were tons of people running around in similar one so he didn't particularly stand out. If no one noticed that perfect body that is.

It had been about 3 hours since he arrived and no, he still couldn't find Gabriella. He was tired, thirsty and hungry and he probably walked through 80% of the place. Spotting a hotdog stand couple of yards away, he ran to it and bought himself one quickly. Food never looked or smelled better to him. Not thinking about anything but his stomach, Troy pealed off the mask quickly and bit into it. Moaning in satisfaction, he continued chewing until he heard a piercing scream. Looking up, he saw a bunch of teenage girls screaming and looking right at him.

"Shit."

* * *

Lunch never looked so expensive to Gabriella before. Why the hell did they want $75 for a simple chicken? Plus half of the food here was in French and she didn't understand a single fucking thing!

Looking up nervously at Ryan who sat opposite of her, she swallowed nervously before taking a sip of her water. Ryan looked up and smiled at her.

"See anything you like yet?" he asked while going back to the menu list.

"Uhm, no…" Gabriella trailed off. Suddenly an idea struck her.

"Hey! Do you want to eat spaghetti? I know this great place that is so cheap and the food is amazing! Let's go!" she suggested enthusiastically. Ryan looked at her a laughed.

"That sounds great, but maybe next time you can take me there. This time, I am treating you!"

"Oh, ok." She said quietly and went back to translating her menu. Wait, she couldn't speak French!

* * *

4 hours! It took 4 hours to get rid of all the fans, which was the whole Disney Land basically and Troy was exhausted. He had to call his manager and waited in a bush for 100 armed men to come and clear out the place so he could come out. Never again, Troy swore to himself, will he go into that hell hole!

Sighing tiredly, he threw his mask on the coffee table and sat down on the couch. That was like **the** most intense work out he ever had. Who would have thought that running from the fans was an exercise. If there was a category in that during the Olympic Games, he would have gotten the gold hands down.

Upon hearing a car stop in his drive way, Troy stood up and peeked out of the window. There, Gabriella was getting out of a shiny black Mercedes S550 belonging to no one else but Ryan Evans. Seeing the two of them together, Troy felt like some one had punched him straight in the stomach and it didn't feel great, let me tell you that.

When he heard the front door being unlocked, he ran quickly to the couch, plopped down and closed his eyes. Suddenly he felt the couch shift with the extra weight and opened his eyes. Gabriella sat there staring at him with a smile.

"What?"

"Nothing, I just had a perfect day! How was your day?" Gabriella said with a big smile and started humming happily to herself while standing up. Troy raised one eyebrow and looked at her suspiciously.

"Ooook." He said carefully. "what has gotten into you?"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing!" Gabriella answered dreamily. Troy felt the punch again.

"Don't just stand there! Make me some dinner woman!" Troy snapped at her and went into the kitchen. Gabriella followed him but instead of sitting down at the table, she went over to the fridge and started taking out ingredients.

"Wait let me just get my phone, in case someone calls." Gabriella suddenly remembered and ran off to the living room. When she finally found her phone at the very bottom of her bag, she turned to leave but something caught her eye. Looking at it more, she realized it was a rubber Mickey Mouse mask from Disney Land. Grinning widely she skipped into the kitchen and put the mask on.

"Surprise!" Gabriella jumped in front of Troy who yelped out.

"Are you crazy? You almost gave me a heart attack!" he yelled out while taking the mask. Gabriella let out a laugh and went back to cooking.

"Did you wait long for me?" she asked with a small smile, but facing away from Troy so he couldn't see it.

"What are you talking about?" Troy asked nervously. Busted!

"How long did you wait in Disney Land for me?" Gabriella asked again fully facing Troy, just in time to catch a blush appear on his face.

"I…I didn't wait for you! Psh, why would I wait for you there? No way! I was bored in the office and needed to relax. What's better than relaxing in Disney Land?" Troy denied quickly and stood up to set the table.

"If you say so…" Gabriella trailed off with a smirk.

* * *

"Let's go to Disney Land after dinner!" Gabriella said while chewing her potato. Troy was in the middle of swallowing and her randomness caused his to choke. This seemed to be happening a lot in Gabriella's company.

"What?" he asked incredulously.

"Well it's my birthday today. And I go to Disney Land every year during my birthday. Besides, I didn't get to a cake nor did I get any present at least I should be able to go to Disney Land." She pouted.

"Fine." Troy said. So much for swearing never to go there again. How could he resist that pout though? You try it! That was something Gabriella could never find out or else he will be doomed!

* * *

"I come all across the town to face a closed Disney Land?" Gabriella yelled out in frustration. "I thought Disney Land didn't close until midnight or something!"

Troy just stood next to her, trying not to laugh at how funny she looked, all worked out over something like this, and hot... He never said that!

After another 5 minutes of yelling, Gabriella decided that it was not going to open again so she stopped. The two of the just stood there in silence, it was not as awkward as you think it'd be.

"So what now? What usually happens in movies when this happens?" Gabriella asked, remembering that there was a scene in a movie Troy played in that the main characters faced something like this. Troy contemplated on it a bit. When he went to answer, an idea came to his mind.

"Stupid!" he mumbled and pulled his phone out. When he found the number he wanted and pressed call. Gabriella watched him curiously.

"Jerry! Hey buddy, how's going?"

* * *

"So let me get this straight, when I started talking about your previous movie, you realized you can get us inside Disney Land during closing hours?" Gabriella asked while tying up her skates.

"Yea, well, when we were shooting the movie, I met this guy that is basically in charge of this place. I did him a favor he owed me one. So…" Troy explained while trying to stand up properly. After Jerry came, he opened the gates. However, all the games were closed and it would be a bit suspicious if it all lit up just for them. So Gabriella settled for the in door ice skating rink.

"Do you know how to ice skate?" she asked with a smirk while looking at Troy who was wobbling in his skates trying hard not to fall.

"Truthfully? No." he chuckled nervously and rubbed his back neck.

"Well then come on! Let me teach you!" Gabriella said excitedly and started pulling him towards the ice.

* * *

"You are an idiot! How hard is it to keep balance?" Gabriella smirked at Troy, repeating the exact same words he said when he taught her how to ride a bicycle.

"Shut up." He mumbled while standing up again and brushing the ice off. He felt humiliated that his own wife was better than him at something this simple.

"Come on." Gabriella took his hands and they slowly started to move around the whole area. They went two rounds in silence with Troy's occasional yelping and Gabriella's laughter.

"You know, it was my mom who taught me how to ice skate. I remember we went almost everyday during winter and after wards she would take me for hot chocolate." Gabriella decided to break the silence and looked away dreamily, thinking back about her childhood.

"It was actually her that inspired me to become a writer. When I was small she would always say: 'Gabi, be a writer that touches lives.'" Troy didn't know what to say to that, obviously, she was having a moment and he was never good with emotions so he just stayed silent.

"Anyway!" Gabriella suddenly said, her dreamlike state suddenly disappearing. "I have a great news! Guess what?"

"What?"

"Ryan Evans offered me a job!" she squealed up in delight.

"Really?" Troy raised his eyebrows. He knew what Harry thought about Gabriella's story, so he couldn't understand why Ryan would offer her a job.

"Yup! I will have to give him a piece of my story every week and if it's really good, it will be made into a movie!" she said in a proud voice.

"That's good." Troy mumbled and the two continued skating around till the early hours of the next day.

* * *

To say she was tired was an understatement. Every single muscle in her body ached and she could hardly move. However, somehow, she still managed to wake up early and drag herself down to make breakfast. Troy, of course, was already up and managed to do his morning run. He was in shower when Gabriella got downstairs.

Yawning and stretching, she stepped into the room and made her way towards the fridge to take out eggs and milk. However, a small box caught her eye on the kitchen table. When she came closer, she realized it was a present. Opening it, she found a small black recorder that was a necessity for every writer. Turning it around, there were five words craved in that brought tears to her eyes in gold cursive letters.

_Be a writer that touches lives_

* * *

Troy had left for work early right after breakfast and Gabriella was currently cleaning up the house when the doorbell rung.

"Who could that be?" she asked herself while getting to the front door. When she opened them, she was met with two faces she had seen only twice but were saved in her memory forever. Elizabeth and Lucille Bolton.

"Hello Gabriella, long time no see darling." Lucille said while going inside, not bothering to wait for Gabriella to invite them in.

"How are you sweetheart?" Elizabeth said while kissing her two cheeks and following after Lucille. Stunned, Gabriella closed the door and went to put water for tea.

"What had just happened?" she mumbled while waiting for the water to boil up.

When everything was set, she brought the tray out and offered each women a cup. Sitting opposite of them in silence, she sipped her beverage and waited for them to start speaking.

"Why didn't you call us after you got back from your honeymoon?" Lucille immediately scolded her without waiting.

"W-well I thought Troy…" Gabriella began quietly.

"Troy, is your husband! He is also a guy and things like calling his parents aren't important enough for him to remember. You, as his wife, have the responsibility to do that!" Elizabeth frowned and looked sternly at Gabriella who looked down at her cup in quilt. Where is Troy when she needed him? Dang it!

"You didn't call us during your honeymoon either! I understand you were 'busy' but we were worried sick about you!" Lucille carried on not giving Gabriella enough time to respond or anything. However at the mention of 'honeymoon' and 'busy', the tea got stuck in her throat and she started coughing.

"Gabriella, you look too thin! Aren't you eating anything? Why aren't you cooking?" Elizabeth shook her head disapprovingly and clicked her tongue.

"Actually, I do…" Gabriella started again but Lucille jumped in.

"Why aren't you wearing your wedding ring? Where is it?" she exclaimed in shock. Gabriella immediately covered her hand. Yea, where **was** her ring?

"Uhm, I…" she started again.

"That's it! We can see that this household is not working!" Elizabeth said in anger. "You two are moving in with us!"

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A/N: press that green button at the bottom people! Update will be soon PROMISE!


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Whoah! This is pretty fast don't you think? It's all thanks to your reviews! Remember, your reviews control the updates! 3**

**Disclaimer: As usual, nothing belongs to us.**

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Chapter 14

_Previously:_

"_That's it! We can see that this household is not working!" Elizabeth said in anger. "You two are moving in with us!"_

After a full day of work, it's only right to stuff yourself up with food and hang out with your friends. Troy's crew and coworkers were no different, the day was ending and they were discussing which restaurant to hit and where to get drunk.

"Troy, man, you coming with us?" Harry asked while putting his coat on.

"Nah, thanks man but I think I am going to head home. I have dinner waiting for me there." Troy responded abstinently while checking mail on his phone.

"You know, I've never really gave it much attention, but now that I think about it, your wife is pretty cute don't you think?" Harry smirked while looking at Troy, whose head snapped up the moment his 'wife' was mentioned.

"What are you talking about? She has a completely common face. There is nothing cute about her at all!" he denied quickly.

"And yet you are all eager to get home for dinner…" Harry trailed off.

"You know what? I think I might take you up on that offer for dinner. Let's go!" Troy said annoyed. "In fact, you know what? I am going to pay! Yea, let me treat you all tonight!" There were cheers all around him and he smiled triumphantly at Harry.

"Oh no, no, you should get home with your wife. She is waiting for you for sure!" Harry shook his head and chuckled. Troy went to retort but his phone rang. Annoyed, he flipped it opened.

"What?" he snapped.

"Troy? You have to get home as soon as possible! Come on!" was Gabriella's frantic response. Without any further word, hung up and made his way towards the exit.

"Have fun at home with your wife!" Harry called after him. To which Troy only responded by raising up his hand and showing Harry what he thought.

* * *

"So you ask me to come home fast just to eat this?" Troy asked in disgust and pushed the plate away. The food was not that bad, Troy was just still angry about Harry and his teasing. Gabriella ignored his words and rolled her eyes.

"That's not it. FYI, your mother and grandmother were here today." She said and watched his reaction.

"First of, what is FYI? What are you? A cheerleader?" he asked irritated.

"FYI, FYI means for your information and no I can't even walk properly without falling let alone do some cartwheel or flips."

"Don't speak like that then!" He snapped. Then he remembered the second part of her previous sentence and his eyes widened.

"Wait, my mother and grandmother were here? What did they want? Did they do anything to you?" he asked in concern while inspecting her for any injuries, not even realizing he actually showed some care for her. Crazy women, they could have harmed Gabriella with the snap of their fingers.

"Not physically, but they may have mentally." She mumbled, blushing under his gaze.

"Why did they come then?" Troy asked after he was satisfied that she didn't have any bruises or broken bones.

"Well I don't know why they came, but when they came, they started yelling about us not calling them." Gabriella started listing while Troy winced.

"They didn't like how skinny I was, they didn't like the way this household was…" she continued but she couldn't recall any other ones so she went to the conclusion. "and they want us to move in with them next week, so we might as well start packing huh?"

"No, no, no, no, no, NO!" Troy yelled out in frustration. This was not happening, he would go crazy living with those two women!

"Then what are we going to do about it huh?" Gabriella asked while rubbing her face tiredly. It was a long day after all.

"I will tell you what we will do! We will go there tomorrow and we will talk this out. I am not moving in with them even if it meant I would be homeless!" Troy informed her in a desperate voice.

"Oh boy…" Gabriella mumbled and went to clean the dishes.

* * *

The drive was very quiet so far. Gabriella was scared as hell and Troy was fuming.

"Ok, so let me tell you something about my family." Troy broke the heavy silence and immediately cleared out that uncomfortable air that was lingering in the car.

"Sure" she answered carefully. Did she really want to know more about this family?

"So my dad, as you know is the coach of LA Lakers. He was actually coaching in Albuquerque's East High School when I was attending it."

"Oh so that's why they looked at me like that!" Gabriella jumped in and immediately flushed.

"What?" Troy asked furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"Oh you know, **Wildcat**, you just married a Knight!" Gabriella smirked when the car stirred from the lane thanks to Troy's shock.

"What?! You went to West High?" he asked incredulously

"Yup." She popped her mouth.

"Moving on!" Troy exclaimed, trying to cover up his disgust. Guess high school just never leaves you.

"My mother is a fashion designer and my grandma, well…she is just my grandma."

"Yea and they don't like me. Got it." Gabriella said.

"Don't worry about my grandma not liking you. She actually has this thing against pretty girls." Troy tried to comfort her. Gabriella smirked and looked at him.

"Are you actually saying that I am pretty?" the question was followed by another stir of the car from the line and few honks from passing cars.

"Then again, my grandma is pretty old, her eyes are not what they used to be and she is turning pretty senile. I don't think recognizes pretty now so you shouldn't really believe her." Troy tried to cover up as fast as he could.

"Yea right." She laughed and looked out of the window, only to find out that they were there. Troy went to open the door but Gabriella caught his arm.

"Wait!" she said and he turned around. A staring contest started and the blue made Gabriella forget what she wanted to say.

"Uh…uhm…I…" she swallowed "wear young ring" she handed him the gold band and slipped one on herself.

* * *

After greetings had been done, all four of them sat down on the sofas. Gabriella sat next to Troy and opposite of the two woman, so they had the chance to stare at her. You know the saying "If looks could kill…"

"What are you wearing? Oh my goodness!" Lucille immediately exclaimed in horror. Gabriella looked at herself. She was wearing white skinny jeans, high black boot and a flowery blouse. It was not bad she would say.

"Jeans can you believe it Lucille?" Elizabeth said with a distaste.

"A proper woman should wear dress pants or black pencil skirts only!" Lucille exclaimed. Gabriella only winced and looked down at her hands.

"Mother! She is wearing exactly what a normal woman her age should be." Snarled Troy while glaring at her.

"What honey? I am just merely stating my opinion. Besides, you should be in a suit too! How did we raise you?" Lucille responded in a sweet tone.

"I am wearing jeans. My body, my clothes and the same goes to Gabriella." Lucille decided to ignore his statement and turned to Gabriella again.

"What's with your haircut? It's all long and all over the place! A wife should have it tied back properly and out of the face not like you, hanging down with a fringe over your eyes!" she attacked her again.

"I think it's pretty like this! So we will leave it!" Troy defended her again and Gabriella couldn't help but blush.

"Anyway! You come here like this with no gifts? Is that how you treat your in laws?" Elizabeth said, interrupting the mother and son. Troy opened his mouth again but Gabriella put her hand on his knee to stop him.

"Actually, I do have a gift for you!" she exclaimed and stood up.

"What are you doing? Sit down!" Troy harshly whispered. Gabriella just glared at him and cleared her throat.

"I'm a little tea pot…" and with that she started dancing and singing to the old children nursery rhyme.

"…tip me over and pour me out!" she finished with a side bow. Smiling she opened her eyes only to be faced with a complete silence and three shocked faces. In Troy's case it was shocked/embarrassed face. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as no one what to say, when suddenly, clapping could be heard from the door. There, stood Jack Bolton himself in the doorway, clapping at the performance.

* * *

"Little teapot? Seriously?" Troy snickered in laughter for the hundredth time after they had left the car. When he got out of the initial shock, he started laughing uncontrollably and didn't stop even after Gabriella had hit him numerous times.

"Shut up." Gabriella mumbled with a pout and crossed her arms.

"Aw come on! You have to admit that's a bit funny." Troy teased her but Gabriella just shook her head stubbornly and pouted even more.

"I will buy you an ice cream if you stop pouting." Troy challenged her and immediately Gabriella broke into a smile.

After 5 more minutes of driving, Troy stopped the car in front of a convenience store and handed Gabriella 20 dollar bill. She took it but looked at him questioningly.

"I am the most famous star in Hollywood. If I go there, people will recognize me right away. But you are no one so you go and buy it." He told her cockily.

"Idiot." She said but still headed inside the store. When she picked up two ice creams, she headed to the cash register. However, a packet of Sour Patch caught her eye and she changed her mind. Returning pack one ice cream, she took the Sour Patch straws instead and went to pay.

When Gabriella got back to the car, Troy drove them to the nearest park. It was thankfully deserted and so the two went over to the swings. She handed Troy the ice cream and opened her packet.

"Why did you buy yourself sour patch and got me an ice cream?" he asked.

"Well, you wanted ice cream and I decided I wanted Sour Patch." Gabriella shrugged her shoulders.

"But I want Sour Patches too!" Troy pouted and handed her the ice cream. "Change it with me!"

"No way! I wanted them first." Gabriella moved further from him so her candies were out of reach.

"I want Sour Patch." He whined like a baby and pouted. Gabriella looked at him. Who could resist that put, those baby blue eyes that were peeking under his eye lashes? She almost forgot how to breathe. Now she knew how Bella felt under Edward's gaze…phew poor girl!

"Fine!" she gave in and handed him the packet, taking the ice cream cone herself.

The two of them sat on the swings in silence, enjoying their treats and the light breeze that was there.

"Oh, I didn't get the chance to thank you for the recorder properly…so, thanks!" Gabriella said with a smile while eating her ice cream. "I thought you didn't care about me you know. Since you always boss me around and all…" she trailed off with a far away look. Troy didn't say anything for a while and kept swinging back and forth gently.

"You know, if you are really thankful, you will push my swing." He told her, his eyes lighting up with the idea. Gabriella stared at him in awe.

"All right then!" she jumped up and went behind him with a giggle. She started pushing his back, ignoring the zings of electricity that came every time she touched him.

Eventually, Gabriella pushed him enough that he went really high and the speed rose too. However, Gabriella kept pushing.

"Gabriella, stop pushing! It's getting too high." Troy yelped out while going back and forth.

"Why should I?" she responded with a laugh and pushed him even more.

"Come on! It's really high!" he said with an evident fear and irritation in his voice. Gabriella only laughed harder and pushed him even more.

"When I get down from here you are so dead!" Troy threatened her while holding to the swings for his dear life.

Troy's constant yelling and Gabriella's laughter were the only thing that could be heard throughout the whole park in that summer evening as the two continued to fool around in the park.

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**A/N: not too much drama here! But don't u worry, it's coming! Review!!!!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Reviews were amazing! Keep them coming! PLUS did u just hear about Vanessa's new scandal? Dang it! Hope you will all support her! Xoxo**

**Disclaimer: We are not associated in any way with Disney.**

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Chapter 15

_Previously:_

"_When I get down from here you are so dead!" Troy threatened her while holding to the swings for his dear life._

Rich people, you would think they will have maids. Most of them do, but there is just this one rich movie star that loves to torture his wife and let her clean up the whole mansion. That's right, Troy Bolton made his wife, Gabriella Bolton, his personal maid. Even if she was busy and had an important meeting, chores came first, like today. Cleaning and cooking were the things she had to do full time.

"Add children and church and he can become Hitler." Gabriella mumbled angrily while putting all the dirty clothes into the washer. Normally she would do it without a word, but she was supposed to meet with Ryan to discuss work. Troy didn't want to let her go until she finished everything in the house first.

"Don't forget my room too! I think something died in there…" Troy called out while slamming the door shut.

"Ew…" she whispered and scrunched up her nose.

* * *

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" Gabriella kept repeating while searching frantically around her purse. Why was that thing so fucking big? Yea, it was cute and yea it was on sale but she couldn't find anything in there! What was it? A fucking black hole?

"Is there a problem?" came a voice behind her. Gabriella whipped her head around to look into the green eyes of Ryan Evans.

"Oh, no, no problem at all." She squeaked out with a nervous laugh.

"Well them let's proceed to our meeting. Shall we?" Ryan gestured to his office. When both of them sat down, Ryan took out all the papers necessary to sign the contract.

"So I was thinking…"

* * *

"What do you think Gabriella?" Ryan asked after 2 hours of going through all the terms and points of the contract. Gabriella however didn't even respond or showed any signs of focusing. Throughout the whole thing, she just sad there gazing into space with a sad face and a slight pout.

"Gabriella!" Ryan snapped his fingers in front of her face.

"Huh? Yea? No, I don't think it is too much money…" she sat up straighter and blushed when she realized she had been caught. With a sigh, Ryan put down the papers and looked at her with concern.

"Gabriella, what is wrong? And don't tell me 'nothing' because I can see something is bothering you." He asked.

"It's just…I…" she started and tears started welling up in her eyes. "I took the subway here and I was so tired that I dozed off. When it was time to get out, I rushed to the door and I completely forgot about the recorder that Troy gave me! I took it out before to look at it more and put it aside! I lost it!" she cried out while looking for tissues. Again, the fucking big bag!

"You lost a recorder? That's it?" Ryan asked while handing her a box of Kleenex.

"It's not just any recorder! Troy gave it to me and it has a very important message engraved on it! Troy is so going to kill me!" she told him while sobbing.

"Ok, why don't we go to the mall and look for a new one?" Ryan suggested while standing up.

"I…I guess that could work." Gabriella said carefully.

The two of the left the building and got into Ryan's car. The ride was quiet except for Gabriella's sobbing. When they finally arrived at the mall, Ryan took her straight into the electronics shop and they looked for a recorder (**A/N: For those of you who don't know yet, it's a digital voice recorder.**)

After looking at various models and types, Gabriella finally spotted the exact same one, minus the words engraved in the back of her old one.

"This is the one." Gabriella pointed. "I never realized it was so expensive!"

"Well, tell you what, I am going to buy it for you. As a present, what do you say?" Ryan suggested.

"Uhm, that would be very kind of you, but I can't accept that." She shook her head and left the store. Ryan followed her out without a word.

"You I would have bought it for you, really. It's no big deal." He said while they aimlessly wandered around the mall.

"I know, thank you. But wouldn't have accepted it, it's just not the same one…" Gabriella trailed off. Truthfully, the lost recorder was mostly valuable because it had a special message on it and most importantly it was from Troy. Getting it from Ryan would not be the same.

"Well, how about we go for lunch!" Ryan asked her with a smile. Gabriella looked at him with a guilty smile.

"Sorry, but I have too many chores to do at home. Maybe next time though?" she suggested.

"Oh, ok. Next time it is…" Ryan said disappointedly "Let me take you home then!"

* * *

"What did you do today?" Troy asked cheerfully when he arrived at home.

"Oh you know, nothing much…" Gabriella answered in a quiet voice. She had to tell him about the recorder sooner or later. Really, she would choose later but she knew the moment was coming.

"What's with you today? Didn't get enough food?" Troy teased her with a smirk. But when she didn't retort back like she usually would, his smirked slowly faded away.

"What's wrong?" he asked concerned. Gabriella bit her lip and weighted the pros and cons of telling him now.

"I…uh…I am so sorry Troy! Really I didn't mean to. It just happened. I dozed off, left it there and the next thing I know, I cant find it in my black hole, I mean purse, then Ryan said to buy a new one and I didn't want to and then he asked me for lunch and I said no. It wasn't the same getting it from him and from you…" she started blabbering in rush.

"What?" Troy asked puzzled. What the fuck was she talking about? Gabriella took a deep breath and started again.

"I went to meet Ryan and took the subway. I was so tired from your cleaning chores that I dozed off and accidentally left the recorder there. So Ryan offered to buy me the same one but I declined because it wasn't the same getting it from him and getting it from you." She closed her eyes and waited for yelling.

"What! You lost my present to you? What kind of a person does that?" he asked in anger. However, when he saw her expression, something in him broke.

"You know what? Let's go and buy a new one. It's late so we can eat dinner as well what do you say? My treat?" he said and Gabriella's eyes opened in shock. She expected worse. If not her death then at least yelling, cursing and door slamming. Oh well!

"Ok."

* * *

"So you called me here. Why?" Ryan asked the platinum blonde that was sitting next to him, sipping a cosmopolitan.

"Oh no reason, I just wanted to catch up and talk. We haven't met lately at all." Sharpay answered while twirling her small straw. Ryan sighed and ordered himself a drink.

"Martini please." He nodded at the bartender and turned to face the woman next to him.

"Sharpay, listen. I told you already, I only see you as a sister, nothing more." She just sipped her drink and didn't say anything for a while, so Ryan turned back to his glass.

"You know, I bet that if you gave it some time, you would learn to love me like I love you." She told him in a quiet voice. Ryan chuckled humorlessly.

"Sharpay, I know you. You don't love me at all. You just want to own me." He said in a cold voice. Sharpay gasped and stood up. Wordlessly she slapped him and walked off.

"Told you so…" Ryan scoffed and massaged his jaw before turning back to the bar.

* * *

Troy learned from the last time and took his Ray Ban aviators and a beanie with him. Not a very good disguise seeing as his signature look was aviators and beanie but better than a Mickey Mouse mask. Besides, it seemed to work at the moment.

He and Gabriella strolled around the mall after they had bought the recorder again and ordered the same engraving to it. They were deciding where to go for dinner when his phone rang. Looking at the screen, Troy saw _Sharpay _flash on it. Looking at Gabriella who was obliviously looking around happily, he picked up the phone.

"Yea?" However, he didn't expect to be met by sobbing instead of a Hello so he stopped.

"Pay? Are you ok?" he asked concerned. This time, Gabriella stopped too and looked at him confusedly.

"_Tr-Troy? I…I need you." _That was all it took before Troy snapped the phone shut and turned around on his heels.

"I will wait for you here ok?" Gabriella yelled at him to which he responded by waving his hand. Sitting down on the bench in the mall, Gabriella exhaled deeply.

"Be fast…" she mumbled.

* * *

Troy's blood boiled. He wanted to kill and he wanted blood to spill. Ryan Evan's blood to be exact. After he had arrived at the park Sharpay was sitting and waiting for him, she had told him the whole incident and broke down into tears once again.

"…h-he sa-aid that I wa-a-anted to o-own him." She sobbed while clutching to Troy tightly. He didn't know what to do so he held her and stroked he hair.

"It's ok Pay, you love him so you want to own him. He just doesn't see the love part yet." He said, trying to comfort her.

"You know that so didn't make any sense right?" Sharpay chuckled with a tear stained voice and sobbed. Suddenly Troy's phone went off and he reached to his pocket to retrieve it.

"Hello?"

"_Troy? Where are you? We are supposed to have dinner remember?"_ Gabriella said into the phone. Troy closed his eyes and cursed. Shit, he completely forgot she was waiting for him.

"Oh, the dinner, yea…uhm…" he started and looked at Sharpay.

"Don't worry about me Troy! I am alright. You can go, you have plans." She said while nodding her head.

"Ok, Brie, I will be there in 15." He said and snapped the phone shut. Putting it back in the pocket, he stood up to make his way to the car. Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms encircle his waist.

"Don't leave me…" Sharpay said quietly with a smirk that Troy didn't see.

* * *

It has been three hours now. Three hours since Troy had left and she was still sitting at the exact same spot.

"He is going to come. He has to…" Gabriella mumbled to herself while looking at the happy couple passing by her. Why couldn't she have that? Oh, right, because this marriage was just a contract. Business only. Then why was she wishing that the couple passing her was her and Troy?

"Ma'am, we will have to ask you to leave. I am sorry, but the mall is closing." A security guard came to her. Gabriella looked at him with teary eyes.

"Of course, I am so sorry." She said and stood up. Heading outside, she hailed a cab and went home.

Was she upset? Yes. Was she hungry? Yes. Was she mad at Troy? No. She was, but not that much because he obviously had a reason to not show up. What if something happened to him? With many thoughts and questions swimming in her head, Gabriella stayed up all night sitting on her bed, until she heard the sound of door shutting downstairs and then upstairs in his room.

* * *

"I am sorry about yesterday." Troy said the next day when they were eating breakfast together. "It was an emergency and I couldn't leave." Gabriella just nodded and quietly chewed on her toast.

"Let me make it up to you then." Troy said with hope in his voice.

"How?" she looked at him suspiciously.

"Well, how about a movie?" Troy suggested. Gabriella thought about this. She really wanted to see the new Ice Age and she wasn't in cinema for ages!

"Fine, but nothing with you in it." She agreed with a small smile. Troy laughed and put syrup on his pancakes.

"Please, my movies are not out yet. But when they will, we would have to attend the red carpet premier." He said casually. Gabriella dropped her fork in shock.

"Re-ed carpet? As in paparazzi, red carpet, celebrities, gowns and all that?" she asked. "Why did you say we?"

"Well, yes, all that and more. And I said we because you are my wife. It's only right to go with you." He answered truthfully.

"Oh boy…"

* * *

Gabriella was locking the front door when her phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered curiously as it was a new number she never saw before.

"_Hi, Gabriella? This is Sharpay."_

"Oh hi Sharpay!" Gabriella said, trying to be casual even though inside, she was screaming in shock. Why would someone like her call her?

"_I just wanted to know if you knew where Troy is? He doesn't pick up his cell and I need to talk to him."_

"Oh, don't worry about that, he probably left it somewhere. I will tell him you called though." Gabriella promised and hung up. Making her way towards the waiting car.

"You ready?" Troy asked.

"Yup, let's go and see Ice Age!"

* * *

"That was so good!" Gabriella exclaimed while giggling. The two of them had to sneak in when the lights went off and before the end of the movie so Troy wouldn't be discovered. Troy just laughed with her and threw the empty popcorn bag into the trash.

"Oh by the way, Sharpay called earlier. She said she couldn't get to you and she needs to talk to you. Where is your phone anyway?" Gabriella suddenly remembered the phone call.

"Oh my phone was probably on silence." Troy said while reaching into his pocket and taking it out. True to her word, there were 20 missed calls and all of them were from Sharpay. Holding one finger up to Gabriella to show that it would be only one minute, he pressed call.

"_Hello?" _

"Hey Pay! You called me?" Troy asked with concern. You don't call a person 20 times if it's only for some chit chat.

"_I can't really talk now Troy, but I was in an accident so I am in the hospital. Just thought you might want to know." _Sharpay said and hung up.

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A/N: Not much happening, but it will. Prepare yourselves and REVIEW!


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Sorry for the delay! But we had our IGCSE results coming out and shit lyk that. We want to remind you that this story is rated T, therefore there will be no sex scenes or anything that could be taken as crossing the line. Sorry to disappoint some of you…**

**BTW: Did you c the Teen Choice Awards?? And poor Vanessa… we HATE Dan Cook! He should go to hell!**

**Disclaimer: It's been 15 chapters already and we still don't own anything :(**

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Chapter 16

_Previously:_

"_I can't really talk now Troy, but I was in an accident so I am in the hospital. Just thought you might want to know." __Sharpay said and hung up._

"Wait for me Troy!" Gabriella gasped out while trying to run. She was never a sporty person. Right after receiving the phone call, Troy ran to the car and didn't even wait for her. She barely closed the door when he already accelerated and crossed the speed limit right away. Right now, Troy was running around the hospital trying to find out where Sharpay's room was and Gabriella was trying to keep up with him.

Troy ran to the reception and startled the nurse by slamming his hands on the desk.

"Please! Do you know where Sharpay Henney's room is?" he asked in a hurry. The nurse looked stars struck before recollecting herself and clearing her throat. He was Troy Bolton for crying out loud!

"She is in room 211 Mr. Bolton." She said in a shaky voice.

"Thank you." He smiled at her with a wink. Gabriella could almost swear that she saw the woman faint for few seconds. Was that possible?

The two of them made their way up to the second floor and proceeded along the hallway. There, in front of the room, stood Jack Bolton. When he saw the two approaching, he smiled and came towards them.

"Troy." He nodded "Hello, Gabriella. How are you?" he asked warmly.

"Father." Troy also nodded in the same distant voice.

"Hello, Jack. I am fine thanks, but what are you doing here?" Gabriella asked startled by the fact that Jack was so nice towards her, yet so cold towards his own son.

"I was the one who actually brought her to the hospital." Jack explain while glancing towards Sharpay's room in concern. Without a word, Troy immediately rushed inside and towards her bed. Gabriella peeked in and saw Troy holding Sharpay's hand and touching her head softly. A strange feeling awoke in her and she didn't like it. She couldn't put a finger to it, but it had a strange bitter taste. If she didn't know better, she would say it was jealousy. But that was ridiculous right?

Should she go inside or should she wait here? Would she be intruding or was it impolite to come all the way here and not come in? Gabriella didn't know what to do. They two of them looked so close and she didn't want to be the millionth wheel. Sad. However, Jack had a different idea and came up to her.

"It's ok Gabriella, just go inside." He said while putting a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. Gabriella just swallowed and turned to him after peeking in once again.

"I…I don't know, they seem so intimate and close. I don't want to intrude." She said uncertainly.

"Troy and Sharpay have known each other since they were small kids. That's why they care about each other so deeply. They are basically like family. You have nothing to worry about Gabriella." Jack said in a soothing voice before going to the canteen for some badly needed coffee.

Gabriella peeked in, but once again, she was faced with the sight of Troy and Sharpay in their own world. She was going to close the door when she heard her name being mentioned.

"Why is Gabriella here?" Sharpay's whiny voice carried on all the way into Gabriella's ears. She knew that eavesdropping wasn't good, but once your name is mentioned, it's an unwritten rule that you have the right to know what's going on.

"We were together when I found out about you." Troy explained.

"Oh." Sharpay said in a dejected voice. What? She didn't expect a married couple to be out together or what? Gabriella thought to herself.

"Why are you here anyway? I don't see any injuries. Few scratches and bruises but that's all. What happened Pay?" Troy asked, concerned.

"I...I don't really remember." Sharpay said slowly and hesitantly. "When I woke up, I was here. Doctors told me I fainted and your father brought me in and… I have no idea." She paused to think.

"The last thing I remember is ordering a Cosmopolitan." At this, Troy stood up in shock.

"What? You were drunk? You are here because you drunk so much you don't even remember what day it is? Have you gone insane Pay?" he exclaimed in anger. Sharpay looked down in guilt and tears slowly started to fill her eyes.

"It-it just still hurts so much you know. He hurt me Troy and I don't know what to do." She sobbed before breaking down into tears. This made him even angrier as he stood up and made his way over to the door. Gabriella quickly moved over to the chairs and picked up a magazine.

"I will come back later Pay. Just remembered I have some errands to run." He said and closed the door. Turning towards Gabriella, he raised his eyebrows.

"What are you doing?" he asked in amusement.

"What does it look like I am doing? I am reading a magazine." She answered casually without looking up. Troy just chuckled and went over to her. When he was close enough, he snatched the magazine and smirked.

"You know you were reading it upside down right?" he said while she blushed. Busted.

"So what? I was practicing my upside down reading. You got a problem with that?" she asked, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"You are so weird…" he trailed off. "Come on. Let's go home."

* * *

Yes he was tired. Yes he wanted to go and look after Sharpay and yes he needed some food soon. But there was a last thing that he needed to take care of, that made his blood boil.

"Hey! Glad you called me for a drink! We haven't seen each other a lot lately, have we?" Ryan asked while sitting down right next to him. With one gulp, Troy finished his Whisky and turned to his friend.

"Actually, I called you here for a reason." He said with a cold voice.

"Yea? And what is that reason?" Ryan asked with a frown. Without warning, Troy swung his fist and punched Ryan who didn't expect the blow and fell off his bar stool.

"What the fuck?" he yelled out while touching his jaw. His lips were busted and blood was spilling out.

"Stay away from Sharpay, you got it? If you hurt her once more, I will do more that just this." Troy hissed out while glaring at Ryan.

"I have no clue about what you are talking about Troy. But what is going on between me and Sharpay is not your problem." Ryan informed him while standing up and sitting back on his stool.

"It is my problem if Sharpay is involved."

"Oh yea? And what is going on between you and her? Last time I checked, you had a wife." Ryan said while ordering a drink and ice packet. "You should think of Gabriella first before anyone else Troy. She should be your number one. Go and straighten your priorities." Not responding, Troy grabbed his phone and left the bar.

* * *

"Hey! Where is the salt?" Troy asked Gabriella while rummaging through the drawers. Gabriella just sat by the kitchen bar and watched him in amusement.

"Third drawer from the left." She told him.

"Thanks." He said while pulling it out.

"What are you doing anyway?" Gabriella asked curiously.

"Chicken soup. I am going to bring it to Sharpay. She is out of the hospital already, so I am going to her shop. I need some clothes anyway." He informed her while stirring the liquid on the stove. Suddenly, Gabriella felt somewhat ill. The bitter feeling has returned again and she didn't enjoy it any more that before.

"Sharpay huh?" Gabriella clenched her jaw. "If I was sick, would you make me some chicken soup too? She challenged him.

"What are you talking about. I made you chicken soup when we met remember?" he said casually while adding more spices. Gabriella contemplated on this.

"True." She said and the feeling had disappeared.

* * *

"Thanks for the soup Troy, but can you put those jeans on please?" Sharpay said while secretly indicating her assistant to throw that stinking food as far away from the shop as possible.

"Sure, no problem." Troy said obliviously while going to the changing rooms.

"I also didn't thank you for taking care of me in the hospital yet Troy." Sharpay said while waiting for him to come out.

"That was no big deal Pay. I would do it again if I had to." He emerged out and pulled on a graphic T-shirt.

"Can you wear this ring with it?" she asked handing him a thick silver band. Troy went to grab it but realized he hand one on him already. The wedding ring.

"Oh, can I take that off? It doesn't really suit the clothes." She asked carefully. Troy thought about this. There was a voice inside him that screamed no. Gabriella wouldn't have liked it either. Suddenly, Troy caught his train of thoughts. Why did he care if Gabriella would agree or not?

"Sure."

* * *

"Where is your ring?" Gabriella asked when she noticed the gold band missing on his finger, during dinner. Troy looked at his hand and remembered. After he left Sharpay's store, he completely forgot to take back the ring. Damn!

"Uh, I think I forgot it somewhere." Troy said, not wanting to pull Sharpay into this. Gabriella's face fell and she looked down at her own gold ring with a small white diamond in the middle.

"It represents out promise to each other. It's very important and you just lose it like that…" she trailed off in disappointment. Why was she upset anyway? It's not like the promise was real or anything!

Troy looked at the woman in front of him. Guilt filled him and he found out that he hated to see her upset like this. The moment he realized he wanted her to be happy, Troy pulled out his phone and dialed a number he didn't use for quite some time.

"_Tiffany's jewelry, may I help you?" _a warm voice picked up. Troy cleared his throat and Gabriella's head snapped up while Brown met Blue.

"Yes, hello. This is Troy Bolton speaking."

"_Ah, Mr. Bolton! What and honor to speak to you. Is there anything we can help you with?" _the woman on the other end asked in excitement.

"Actually. I ordered a pair of wedding rings few weeks ago and I lost the ring for the groom. Can I please get the exact same one remade again? That would be very nice." Troy politely placed his order while Gabriella's jaw dropped in shock. Was he really doing this?

"_But of course Mr. Bolton! It will be done in 4 days. Do you want us to send it to you afterwards?" _

"That would be great. Thank!" he responded and snapped the phone shut. Suddenly Gabriella ran off into the living room and came back with a smile and a black pen in her hands.

"What is that for?" Troy asked suspiciously.

"Give me your hand" she responded, ignoring his previous question. Troy cautiously raised his hand up.

"Not the right one! I need the left one!" Gabriella corrected him and grabbed his left hand. Without a word, she drew a circle around his ring finger.

"Now you don't need to buy anymore rings. I got one for you." She said with a wide smile while her eyes sparkled in excitement. Troy found this cute and chuckled at the drawing.

"Here, let me draw a watch for you as well, since you never wear one." She said while drawing on his wrist with an extraordinary concentration. The tip of her tongue stuck out as she focused on the drawing and Troy just stared at her in fascination. A mall smile playing on his lips.

"There you go!" she said after she finished. With a happy sigh she stuck out her hand and cleared her voice.

"That would be $500 for the jewelry Mr. Bolton." She said in a professional voice while Troy laughed. Instead of responding, he took the pen from her hands and drew a watch on her wrist as well.

"That would be $1000 Mrs. Bolton." He mimicked her with a smile.

"Hey! Your watch is so ugly! It can't cost more than my ring and precise watch!' Gabriella argued with him while observing her watch.

"That's not true! My watch is the Troy Bolton limited edition! There is only one of its kind in the world and you have it!" Troy argued back. Gabriella went to retort but nothing came to her mind so she just pouted. Suddenly, she grinned widely and took back the pen. Getting closer to Troy, she started drawing on his face and around his eyes.

"There, you got yourself a pair of $500 glasses since you always wear your aviators. Now I owe you nothing." She stuck her tongue out. Troy just sat there in shock. Did she just draw on his face? Getting out of the trance, he grinned evilly and glared at her.

"You just wait till I get you…" he threatened and launched himself at her. Gabriella just squealed and ran out of the room with Troy chasing around her with a pen.

"Come here! I have these awesome glasses you need to try on!" he called after her while running.

"I am pretty fine without them, thanks!" Gabriella yelled out with laugh, trying to get as far away for him as possible.

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A/N: VERY sorry for the late update! Review!!!!!!!!!!!


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Sorry, school starting soon and everything was hectic! But we PROMISE that this story is going to be finished no matter if u continue reading it or not because we have the outline of the whole story done already. haha. We already have another idea for a new story, but 2 stories at once r way too much. Especially in year 11. ENJOY and REVIEW!**

**BTW: Who is excited for Bandslam??? We know we are!**

**Disclaimer: We are not the owners of Disney! Yet…**

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Chapter 17

_Previously:_

"_You just wait till I get you…" he threatened and launched himself at her. Gabriella just squealed and ran out of the room with Troy chasing around her with a pen._

"_Come here! I have these awesome glasses you need to try on!" he called after her while running._

"_I am pretty fine without them, thanks!" Gabriella yelled out with laugh, trying to get as far away for him as possible._

"Name? hmm…TB. Career? Let's see… Actor. Personality huh? Rude and has a Prince Syndrome. Interests? Easy…scolding, bossing around and yelling." Gabriella typed into her laptop. She was currently describing the main character of her new story for Ryan. And no, before you ask, it's not based on anyone in particular. Ehm…

"I am heading out!" Troy informed her while putting on his jacket. Gabriella turned to him and frowned.

"When are you going to be back?"

"I don't know." He shrugged.

"Are you going to eat out?"

"Don't know."

"Should I make dinner? What time are you going to come back?" she kept asking questions. Troy opened his mouth to answer but then frowned.

"Why are you asking so many question? I don't know okay? So butt out!" he said and turned towards the front door.

"Idiot." She breathed out and turned back to her work. Typing anything that came to her mind, Gabriella found that she couldn't focus. Where would he be going at this time? Why couldn't he tell her? She couldn't get rid of this stupid curiosity.

"What time is it anyway?" she muttered and looked at her left wrist. What she saw made her smile. The watch Troy had drawn the other night was still there. Remembering the goofing around, she turned around and started typing again. With a smile she realized that those memories were calming.

* * *

Sharpay Henney was never a person to keep her thoughts in. She was blunt. Scarily blunt. She didn't care who got hurt because of her words. The only thing that mattered was that she got to say what she wanted. She hated keeping things bottled up and this was no exception. She was going to tell Troy exactly what she thought and he will have to deal with it.

When the small bell of the door indicated that someone had stepped into the shop, Sharpay turned around to find Troy standing there relaxed, with his hands in the pockets.

"Hi." She said with a smile and indicated him to come to her.

"Hey Pay. Just came over to see what you were up to." Troy grinned at her and sat down at the sofa.

"Oh you know, the usual. Designing, keeping an eye on these useless assistants… I swear they are all incompetent!" she exclaimed while throwing her hands up in the air for a more dramatic effect and glaring at one of the passing girls. Troy just rolled his eyes at this and smirked.

"Pay, don't be too mean to them. Your standards are too high for normal people like us."

"Oh! I have your ring!" Sharpay suddenly yelped out and took it out of her pocket. Troy looked at it for a second before his eyes lit up in realization.

"Right! This is my wedding ring! Thanks!" he said while taking it from her. When he was about to put it on his finger, he saw the ring that Gabriella had drawn for him.

_Flashback:_

"_Now you don't need to buy anymore rings. I got one for you." She said with a wide smile while her eyes sparkled in excitement._

Troy chuckled at the memory and kept looking at it, completely ignoring Sharpay. Sharpay didn't like to be left out, and right now it damn felt like so. That was not good. She was supposed to be the center of attention **all **the time. No exceptions. She looked over at whatever Troy was chuckling about and frowned at the black circle that was on his skin.

"What is that?" she asked with an evident disgust in her voice. Troy immediately came back from his dreamland and looked at her.

"Oh nothing, it's just a ring that Brie drew for me when I thought I lost this one." He told her not considering the impact of the words that he used.

"Brie huh?" Sharpay said with venom in her voice and Troy winced.

"I meant Gabriella." He said while putting the ring on his finger, just above the drawn one.

"You know I really don't like Gabriella." Sharpay said while looking at him straight in the eyes. "I don't like sharing and this feels like sharing." She continued without thinking. "I am clinging on you and I know it. I want let go but I can't and I really don't like the thought of her clinging together with me."

Troy couldn't help but notice how many times she had used the word "I". Yes he cared about her and pretty much loved her, but she could be so self centered sometimes.

"What am I supposed to do?" he defended himself. "I can't let go of your hand if you don't let go of mine. Believe me, I tried and it is impossible."

"Well maybe I don't want to let go." Sharpay said quietly to herself but Troy had heard her.

* * *

Troy didn't seem to be coming home and she was damn hungry. Deciding on making dinner to herself only, she wandered off to the kitchen. What was fast enough to make so she wouldn't die of hunger? Opening a cupboard, her eyes lit up.

"Mac and cheese!" she exclaimed loudly and started preparing her food. It was one of her most favorite things to eat, yet she didn't have it for what seemed like centuries. Stirring the mixture in the pot, she whistled to herself and looked at her 'watch' again. Smiling, she poured the food out on the plate and brought it with her to the living room.

Sitting down on the sofa, she pushed the 'Play' button on her remote and began eating while watching the complete first season of Desperate Housewifes. Suddenly, she heard the doors opened close again. After a minute of rustling outside on the hallway, Troy appeared in the living room. Upon seeing Gabriella, he burst our in laughter. She was sitting there staring at him with a full mouth of mac and cheese in sweatpants, a tank top and a messy bun. Yes, it didn't seem so funny but Troy found it funny and cute.

"What?" Gabriella snapped at him after swallowing her bite. Troy just shook his head and came over to sit next to her. Patting her knees to indicate she should move so he could sit, Troy suddenly sniffed the air. "Are you a dog or something?" Gabriella asked, looking at him weirdly. Troy glared at her.

"Shut up. What the hell is that anyway?" he asked with disgust while looking at her plate. Gabriella's mouth opened in shock.

"Wait. You don't know what this is?" she asked and Troy just shook his head.

"You do not know what this is. At all." Gabriella repeated.

"Nope. Why? Should I?" he looked at her expectantly.

"You don't know Mac and Cheese?" Gabriella asked slowly, still not believing something like this was even possible.

"No I don't! What is your problem?" Troy asked irritated. This game was tiring.

"You are so weird! Everyone knows Mac and Cheese! It's the bestest thing in the world! I can't believe you don't know it." Gabriella snickered.

"What?! You are the weird one! Who eats this thing anyway? It looks like dog food! Besides, bestest isn't even a word." Troy exclaimed angrily. He didn't like when someone was making fun of him. And that was exactly what Gabriella was doing.

"What are you? Some word existing inspector now? I will say bestest if I want to." Gabriella stuck her tongue out and stood up to bring her, now empty, plate into the kitchen.

"So weird…" Troy muttered in amusement.

"You should have called that you are going to come back at this time! I could have made you dinner." Gabriella complained when she came back and sat down.

"You should stop meddling with my life! It's none of your business!" Troy snapped at her.

"It is my business if I am the one cooking for…" Gabriella suddenly stopped when she saw the wedding ring on his finger. "You got your ring back?" she asked instead of finishing her sentence.

"Uh, yea. Sharpay had it…" Troy said and immediately regretted the words he said. Gabriella just sat there frozen. The feeling of bitterness and being punched in the stomach has once again returned. She felt like throwing up. Sharpay had his ring? That means he must have met her.

"I mean, I went there to give her the soup and tried on some clothes. Then she wanted me to wear another ring and I took this one off and forgot about it." Troy tried to explain. Why he did it? He didn't know. But he felt like he had to.

This didn't make Gabriella feel any better. Not only he forgot his own wedding ring, he also let another woman, specifically Sharpay, touch it and take it off. Without saying anything, Gabriella stood up and went away. Her expression still unreadable and frozen.

"Brie!" Troy called after her but she didn't react and continued to walk upstairs.

"Shit." He mumbled and fell back down on the couch.

* * *

"Look at this stunning piece!" Elizabeth exclaimed and smiled. Lucille and Gabriella followed her gaze and both of them gasped at the beauty of the painting in front of them.

Gabriella received a phone call early in the morning, informing her that she was to accompany her Grandmother and Mother in law to the Los Angeles County Museum of Arts. She was quite hesitant at first because she didn't have that many happy memories with these two women. But she did like art and she desperately wanted to get on their good side. Why not?

The three of them met up at the front entrance of the museum. This time, Gabriella carefully selected what to wear. No more jeans. She chose a green dress with sleeves that stopped at her mid thighs. She wore a long grey cardigan over it and brown slouchy suede boots. It looked quite sophisticated yet cute and totally her age. Even Lucille had complimented her on the outfit. That was something that didn't happen very often and Gabriella felt like she just won an Oscar or something like that.

"Elizabeth Bolton?" an old blonde woman asked suddenly. Elizabeth turned around and smiled broadly.

"Suzan! Lovely to see you here!" she answered and kissed the two cheeks of the woman.

"Ah yes. It was a warm afternoon and I felt like admiring some of the greatest art pieces." Suzan answered and turned to Lucille.

"Lucille! I didn't see you for a long time." She greeted Troy's mother in the same way.

"Hello Suzan." Lucille gave her a tight smile and returned the hug given to her.

"And who is this young lady, may I ask?" Suzan asked with raised eyebrows. It was not common to find the Bolton women with a stranger or someone that wasn't important in the community.

"This," Elizabeth said and took Gabriella's arm. "is my grand daughter in law." She introduced her and smiled.

"Oh! I remember you now! I saw your face in every magazine. The wedding was lovely from what I heard. Sorry that I couldn't be there but I had a very urgent thing to attend in New York." Suzan said and gave Gabriella a hug.

"Yes, you so urgently had to go shopping and squeezing more money out of your husband." Lucille murmured quietly but Gabriella heard her and giggled.

"What was that my dear?" Suzan asked her and Gabriella immediately stopped.

"Oh nothing. I just remembered something funny." Gabriella said quickly and put on a smile.

"So what is that you do? A lawyer? A politician? Who are your parents? What do they own? Do I know them? Do you have a house in the Hamptons? Upper East Side?" Suzan fired tons of questions at her. It reminded Gabriella of the first day meeting Elizabeth and Lucille.

"Actually…" Gabriella opened her mouth to explain but Lucille cut in.

"She is a very successful writer and no she doesn't own any houses in your areas Suzan, but she owns a big house in Beverly Hills." Lucille put on a fake smile.

"And we are very proud of her." Elizabeth added and squeezed Gabriella's arm. That was a big shocker for Gabriella. They were proud of her? Wow!

"A commoner then, how lovely." Suzan said with a very poorly masked disgust. "Well, it was nice talking to you Elizabeth, Lucille… Gabriella." The three women nodded at her and watched as she hurried away from them. Bitch.

* * *

"Mr. Bolton, we have a new addition to our crew. Would you like to meet him?" Stacy asked while following him around the hallways. Guess she wasn't fired after all.

"Yea, sure, whatever." Troy said abstinently. He was still feeling bad about last night. He wanted to apologize to Gabriella but he didn't know what for. For meeting his best friend? For forgetting the ring? For being rude to her? For slowly falling for her? The last question made him stop in the middle of the hallway and Stacy almost crashed into him.

"Mr. Bolton, are you alright?" she asked and looked at him. Troy didn't answer. Instead he was deliberating about his thoughts. He wasn't falling for her was he? That would be unacceptable!

"Mr. Bolton!" Stacy yelled into his ear and Troy jumped away in shock.

"What the fuck Stacy!" he exclaimed angrily.

"Sorry, it's just, our new member is here." She told him and pointed at a bushy haired man in front of Troy.

"This is Chad Danforth." She introduced him and Troy's eyes widened.

"You are Chad Danforth?" he asked slowly. **The **Chad Danforth?

"I need to go and sort out your next appointments with Harry." Stacy said and disappeared around the corner.

"Yea, that's me. Why?" Chad asked casually. Of course he knew Troy, he was the one who helped him to get Gabriella to the wedding. Suddenly Troy took Chad by the collar and pinned him against the wall.

"You are the scumbag to tricked Gabriella right? Her best friend who took everything from her?" Troy hissed and Chad just gulped.

"I guess that would be me…" he chocked out.

"Are you insane? How could you do that to her? You know I could put you in jail just with the snap of my fingers right?" Troy threatened him.

"But I helped you with getting her to the wedding!" Chad defended himself.

"True." Troy mumbled and let Chad go. "You like basketball?"

* * *

"So how was your day today dear?" Lucille asked Jack while cutting up her steak. Elizabeth and Lucille had invited Gabriella to eat dinner with them and it turned out that Jack would also be joining four of them sat around the table and made small talk while the maids served the food.

"It was good. Kobe was in a great shape today and so far it seems very good." Jack answered and continued chewing.

Gabriella just sat there and ate her food quietly, occasionally answering questions that were addressed towards her. She was a very bouncy and bubbly person but this place and these people just intimidated her somehow. That didn't mean that the cheerful Gabriella wouldn't show up sometimes for them to see.

The dinner was pleasant and the four of them moved to the lounge to carry on with their evening. Currently, they were all sipping tea and Gabriella personally found it boring.

"What are we going to do now?" she asked without thinking but immediately bit into her tongue. Stupid her. She was doing so well today and all is going to be ruined!

"Well, what do you suggest we do, usually, we just sit here and talk." Elizabeth said with a raised eyebrow. Lucille and Jack sat there with expectant looks on their eyes. From the last time when she performed Little teapot for them, they both expected something unexpected. Not that they didn't like it.

"Uhm, I don't know really. You don't have Xbox do you? Wii? Playstation? Guitar Hero?" Gabriella asked and they all shook their heads. Video games? What? "Figures, Troy has them all in our house." Gabriella continue to think.

"We don't have any of that, but we do have a bowling alley, a basketball court, a small cinema, a swimming pool and a spa place." Lucille informed her. Gabriella just sat there shocked. How the heck did they manage to cramp all that into this house? She made a mental note to explore it all one day. It could be like a trip.

"Well do you have cards?" Gabriella asked suddenly.

"Cards? I think we do." Jack said and ordered one of the maids to get them a pack.

"What do you want to do with cards?" Elizabeth asked with raised eyebrows and Gabriella smirked.

"Ever played poker?"

* * *

"It's getting late, I should probably go." Gabriella suddenly looked at the clock. It was nearing 11 and they were still playing. After Gabriella had explained all the rules and ways to play to them, the three older Boltons had gotten so into the game, they didn't want to quit.

"Nonsense! Keep playing!" Elizabeth exclaimed and put down a card.

"You know you could always spend the night here. We have plenty of room for you." Jack offered and took a card.

"That is a great idea! I will have someone set a room for you!" Lucille exclaimed and immediately, a maid appeared by her side.

"I hope you don't mind staying in Troy's old room. All the others are being renovated." Lucille informed her casually without noticing the shock Gabriella was sent into.

* * *

Where was she? Did something happen to her? Was it because of what happened earlier? Troy didn't understand. It was almost midnight and there was no sign of Gabriella whatsoever. He was sitting in the sofa, worried sick, playing with the phone. Should he call her or not? Troy didn't want to because of the argument they had. But then, it was killing him not knowing where she was at this time of the day.

Flipping the phone open, he dialed her number but just before he could press 'call', he closed it again. Damn him! He didn't want to call because he clearly remembered how he snapped at her for getting into his business and now he would be doing the same.

"Fuck this." He mumbled and dialed the number again.

"Hello?" came out from the other end and Troy instantly felt relieved. At least she was still alive right?

"Gabriella Anne Bolton! Where are you right now? Do you know what time it is? This is no time for a woman like you to walk around on the streets!" he started yelling after the relieve passed.

"Chill! Why are you yelling? I am in your room." Gabriella answered with a hint of amusement.

"What? My room?" Troy asked confused and run up the stairs. Upon getting to his room, he looked inside and searched. Empty.

"Why do you have so many awards on your wall anyway? And were you red and white obsessed? Aren't those East High colours? Ew…" Gabriella asked. Then it dawned on him, she was in his old room!

"You are in my old room?! What the fuck are you doing there?" Troy asked in shock. But his old room was in…

"You are in my parents house? How? Did those two old hags kidnap you?!" Troy asked.

"No, I came here because I wanted to." Gabriella answered casually. Looking around the room she feared that she will forever see things only in red and white from staying here. "Really, couldn't you pick a normal color for your room? This is **way **too much!"

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A/N: this is SO longer than the others! REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please…


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hey guys! We wanted to post this ASAP, cause our school started 17/8/09… sucks…the updates wont be as frequent as now…ehem…but it WILL be finished.**

**Jazzyjazz07 asked if it will end soon and the answer is….*drum roll*…NO! This story is FRIGGIN long. We want to shorten it somehow but it's impossible. We are ALMOST halfway haha…don't worry…just don't lose interest!**

**Pinkie0496 asked if there is gonna be a sequel. Sorry but it doesn't seems like so. Although this story is long enough for both original and sequel. Sorry!**

**Plus…Welcome back Whirlergirl!**

**Disclaimer: We don't own Disney or HSM in any way!**

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Chapter 18

_Previously:_

"_No, I came here because I wanted to." Gabriella answered casually. Looking around the room she feared that she will forever see things only in red and white from staying here. "Really, couldn't you pick a normal color for your room? This is __**way **__too much!"_

There were so many awards, trophies and certificates! What the heck? For a stupid person like Troy, Gabriella would never guess that. Of course he had many posters as well but, boy, those trophies. One little thing on the book shelf stood out thought…

"Did you make those full of origami stars yourself? So pretty!" Gabriella gushed while observing the colorful pieces of paper, carefully folded and put into the jars that were neatly put one next to each other.

"_Oh, those things? Why would I make them? Sharpay gave it to me when we graduated middle school."_ Troy responded and chuckled at the memory. Suddenly, the they didn't seem so pretty and colorful to Gabriella anymore and she looked up.

"Oh I see…" she just trailed off and looked at the several picture. Suddenly, one picture made Gabriella burst out laughing.

"_What? What do you see?" _Troy asked concerned. What could she possibly see that would make her laugh like that? That Tyra Banks poster on the ceiling? Gabriella just continued to laugh hysterically and showed no sign of stopping while holding a frame in her free hand.

"You-your-your ph-o-o-to wh-e-en you w-ere in dia-apers!" she managed to choke out. She started laughing even harder when she heard Troy groan on the other end of the phone.

"_Oh god…"_ Gabriella just stared at the picture again and smiled. He was so cute when he was small, no teeth but same smile. She felt her heart melt. Putting the frame down, she went to observe another picture. This one, however, made her frown. There was a small bald girl sitting next to a young Troy with a big smile on her face. He, though, had a sad expression and looked longingly at her.

"Troy?" she said timidly.

"_Yea?" _

"Uhm, who is that little girl next to you on the photo? The one with no hair and…is that your sister?" Gabriella's eyes widened. How could she not see the same blue eyes, smile and all the features all together? Troy was quiet on the other line, if she didn't hear his regular breathing, she would say he had hung up on her.

"Troy?"

"_Oh…yea, that was my sister Christine."_ He answered slowly and Gabriella could feel he didn't like to talk about it.

"Why did you say were? What happened?" Gabriella knew she shouldn't push it, but she couldn't help but want to know more. This was Troy's vulnerable part that didn't show too often and she wanted to know as much from it as she could while it was still there.

"_She, uhm, she had leukemia and died when she was 9." _Troy answered with a distant voice. _"She always had to take medicine, always had to go to the hospital. I remember when I was playing with her outside. She was fine at one moment, but I wend for a second to get the ball and when I turned around, she was lying on the floor unconscious. It was the scariest moment of my entire life."_ He continued in a quiet voice.

Gabriella wanted him to stop. She wanted him to get out of that memory and be the jerk she always knew. Not this guy that was hurting. She didn't want him to hurt but she also wanted to know the story. She just hoped he was strong enough to tell it and she was strong enough to hear it.

"_She had to get 8 injections a day. It wasn't a great sight but I was always there to hold her hand. Never let go, she always told me. My dad didn't even let her cry when she was suffering."_ Troy sobbed. _"He should have let her cry…"_ his voice was full of regret and hatred towards his own father.

"_I wanted her to cry too. At least I could make those better, but you never saw tears in her eyes. It was like they were locked up somewhere and only my father had the key..." _Troy trailed off.

"Troy, I am so sorry." Gabriella whispered, her own tears silently sliding down her cheeks.

"_Anyway, that's why, whenever Sharpay cried I always took her for ice cream. She cried a lot and that always made her better." _He remembered again. Tears stopped immediately and Gabriella felt sick. Sharpay, ice cream when she was upset? She remembered all those times when she was upset and Troy took her for ice cream. She thought it was their own thing. But guess she was wrong…

"_Hey! Are you sleeping?"_ Troy asked after a while, when Gabriella made no signs of answering what so ever. Gabriella didn't say anything again because she feared that if she opened her mouth, she would throw up. Steak on the red and white couch wasn't such a good idea.

"_Should I go and pick you up?"_ Troy asked again in worry. Why the hell wasn't she answering?

"Why? Do you miss me or something?" Gabriella challenged him and held her breath for his answer. Troy, of course, cursed himself for showing emotion and care for her like that. Why did he slip again?

"_No, I want you to come back because who else will feed me?" _Troy denied quickly. Without a word, Gabriella hung up and threw her phone into the corner.

"Fucking idiot." She murmured annoyed. Suddenly, she gasped and her eyes widened.

_Flashbacks:_

"_The movie is about a guy who falls in love with this girl but the girl plans on going away. So the guy decides to confess and propose to her and tell her not to go, to stay by his side…" he told her while she listened with concentration._

_---_

"…_from the moment I saw you standing on the sidewalk near you house in that pink and puffy dress I knew I loved you. You are the love of my life and I can't imagine living without you. So, will you marry me?"_

_---_

"_Nothing that should concern you!" he snapped at her and reached for the ring only to throw it out the open doors to the back yard_

_End Flashbacks_

"How could I be so stupid?" Gabriella covered her mouth with wide eyes and tears started falling freely again. Indeed, how could she be so stupid?! Why didn't she see it? It was so obvious, so clear, so out in the open. Yet, she had failed to see all the signs pointing towards it. Troy Bolton was, in fact, in love with Sharpay Henney.

* * *

Gabriella unlocked the door and stepped inside. Closing the door quietly, she went into the kitchen. It was unusually quiet. Maybe Troy wasn't there? Even better. Suddenly, she let out a yelp when she saw a person sitting at the kitchen counter, eating.

"What? Never saw a person eat?" Troy asked with a full mouth. Gabriella didn't say anything but sniffed the air.

"Is that… Mac and Cheese?" Gabriella asked with a smirk.

"Uh…maybe?" Troy swallowed and looked at her nervously.

"Look who is eating dog food now?" Gabriella said and went to open the fridge. She was really hungry and it was lunch time already.

"Whatever, you were not here to feed me so I had to find something to eat." Troy objected and kept on eating.

"Ever heard of ordering?" Gabriella asked sarcastically. Troy decided to ignore it and changed the subject.

"Look, let's forget about the whole minding each other business thing. It's too inconvenient." He told her and waited for her answer. Gabriella took her plate to the table and turned to her purse.

"That reminds me. Here." She gave him a sheet of paper. "This is the schedule of using the house. I will use it at these times and you at these. This way, we will never have to run into each other and meddle into each other's businesses." She informed him.

"What if I need something?" Troy asked, looking at the sheet with wide eyes. Was she serious?

"To communicate, we can post notes on the fridge. Okay?" Gabriella said and went to get a glass of juice.

"But…" Troy went to object when Gabriella cut in.

"That's all. I will go to my room now so I am not in your way. Take care of yourself until we meet again." Gabriella said with a small smile and took her purse and lunch upstairs.

"What the heck just happened?" Troy mumbled whole looking at her retreating figure in shock.

* * *

It has been 4 hours already. Troy had moved around the house and finally settled on the couch. He was bored. Seriously bored and Gabriella was no where to be seen. Her bedroom doors were locked and she didn't leave it since she came home. Troy never noticed it before but it was so quiet and lonely in the house. No one to humor and entertain him.

"She couldn't stay there forever could she?" Troy mused out loud. She needed food so she should eventually come out. Hopefully. Who would clean the house? Suddenly Troy sat up.

"That's it!" murmuring, he took the steps up by two and knocked on Gabriella's door.

"What?" came out an annoyed sound. Troy was taken aback by this a bit. What did he do?

"Go and clean the house! It's all dirty and dusty!" Troy told her through the doors.

"I will clean it later when it's my time on the schedule!" Gabriella answered.

"No! You are cleaning it now! Remember the contract!" Troy told her with a smirk. After few moments of muffling sounds in the room, Troy heard the door unlock and Gabriella came out with an annoyed expression. Not even looking at him, she made her way down the stairs and started sorting out the coffee table.

"And that's how you do it." Troy said with a smirk and plopped down on a couch right in front of Gabriella who glared at him.

* * *

Gabriella was tired. Really, really tired. She had been working on her story since she finished cleaning. It was midnight now and she was nowhere close to being finished. She had to give it to Ryan in the morning no matter what. Rubbing her eyes, Gabriella stood up and made her way into the kitchen to get some milk and Oreos.

Troy couldn't sleep and so he got out of the bed and went downstairs for a snack. Passing the living room, Troy stopped and peaked in. The laptop produced light and he didn't see Gabriella anywhere. Going in, he went to the laptop and turned it off.

"What have you done?!" Gabriella exclaimed in shock while staring at the, now black, display.

"What did it look like I was doing? It was a waste of electricity so I turned it off. You know how high the bills are going to be?" Troy told her while eyeing the cookies. Yum.

"Are you stupid?!" Gabriella yelled out while looking at him. "All my work is lost now! I was so close to finishing and now I have to start all over again! I have to give it in tomorrow you idiot!" she threw the pack of Oreos at him. Not expecting it, the packet hit him straight in the head. Painful, yea.

"Calm down." Troy started carefully. "How about some ice cream huh?" he offered. This made Gabriella even angrier. How dare he!

"From now on, I don't want any ice cream! I don't want it! I don't want it!" she yelled out and stomped on her feet. Troy just shook his head and laughed. She could be so childish sometimes. Cute. Turning on the computer, he clicked on the file and opened it.

"Here. I saved it before turning it off. See? Not lost." Troy showed her with a smile. Gabriella, however, glared at him and put the glass of milk on the table without a word.

"Oh come on! I am sorry okay?" Troy exclaimed. She was really mad at him? Thinking about how to make it better, Troy cleared his throat and Gabriella looked at him.

"I'm a little teapot…" he started singing. He didn't know the words too well, so he changed them at some parts. The dancing wasn't so easy for him either so it was all a bit deformed. However, it fulfilled its purpose, by the time Troy finished, Gabriella was laughing hysterically, tears pouring out of her eyes.

"You idiot! The words aren't even right!" she said with a grin. That was so cute!

* * *

Yawning, Gabriella poured herself some cereals and milk. Troy just sat there, chewing his bacon and looked at her.

"What is with you?" he asked and Gabriella just glared at him through sleepy eyes.

"I was up all night, working on the story. I am so tired!" she complained and started eating. Boy did she want to sleep!

"So, my new movie is coming out soon. You have to go to the premier?" Troy asked her. Suddenly, Gabriella's eyes were wide open. Premier?

"Really?" she asked excited and received a nod from Troy. "Is it for free?" Gabriella asked with a grin.

"Nope, you have to pay." Troy told her and bit into his toast. At this, Gabriella's face fell a bit, but she was still excited.

"How about a discount?" she pleaded.

"No discount." Troy said firmly.

"Fine." Gabriella pouted and took a bite from her cereal.

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A/N: Review? There is gonna b a Sharpay/Gabriella confrontation and some jealousy! The more reviews, the faster the update!


	19. Chapter 19

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A/N: We have a shitload of work to do for homework from school! It sucks! Damn it…. But here is another update! Reviews were amazing! Keep them coming! Enjoy!

**REMEMBER: Sharpay is, and should always be Troy's number one priority! It said so in the previous chapters. Don't forget that for the next upcoming chapters k?**

**Disclaimer: Disney is not our property.**

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Chapter 19

_Previously:_

"_So, my new movie is coming out soon. You have to go to the premier?" Troy asked her. Suddenly, Gabriella's eyes were wide open. Premier?_

"_Really?" she asked excited and received a nod from Troy. "Is it for free?" Gabriella asked with a grin._

"_Nope, you have to pay." Troy told her and bit into his toast. At this, Gabriella's face fell a bit, but she was still excited._

"_How about a discount?" she pleaded._

"_No discount." Troy said firmly._

"_Fine." Gabriella pouted and took a bite from her cereal._

* * *

"Here is the synopsis." Gabriella handed Ryan a folder. Thankfully, after Troy had showed her the file with her document, she was able to finish the story and get some sleep as well. Score!

"Awesome." Ryan smiled and they walked together to the elevators.

"So what do you think of it so far?" Gabriella asked curiously and observed his reaction. Ryan looked at her and his lips curled upwards.

"It's not so bad, but I will have to see more in order to decide. It's also not only my choice. There are several others who have to review it." Gabriella's face fell at this. So the chances of her story being made into a movie are slim. Oh well…

"But don't worry." Ryan added quickly. "I am sure it's going to get approved."

"Okay!" she said more cheerfully. Both of them stepped out of the office building and stood on the road.

"So what are your plans today?" Ryan asked her, not quiet wanting to finish the conversation.

"Actually, I am going to see Troy's premier today." Gabriella sound casual, but the excitement in her voice was evident.

"Really? That's where I am going too!" Ryan said with a grin. "Want a ride?" he offered.

"Uhm, sorry I can't. Troy is actually waiting for me on the corner. So I have to go." Gabriella said with a guilty expression while slowly walking backwards towards Troy's car. Suddenly, everything happened so fast. One moment, Ryan was looking around the street and saw a fast car approaching towards Gabriella who didn't notice yet, and the next, Ryan pulled her towards him away from the street.

"What the hell?" Gabriella yelped out and clutched tightly onto Ryan.

"Are you okay?" He asked in concern, still holding onto her.

"Yea yea, I am alright, Thanks." She said while breathing heavily. That was so close.

"You could have been run over by a car. Are you sure you are all right?" Ryan asked again.

"Yeah. I am ok. Don't worry about it, really. Thanks though." She said with a smile and hugged him. Unknown to them, a certain blonde had seen the whole thing and her eyes were currently blazing with jealousy and hatred.

* * *

"What the hell took you so long?" Troy complained when Gabriella finally came back.

"Whatever. Let's go." Gabriella decided to ignore his comments and not tell him about the incident that just happened few moments ago.

"When we get home, you will find a dress waiting for you on your bed, wear that. A limo will pick you up in an hour because I have to go first for the press conference. You will be sitting next to me though so don't worry. When you arrive at the theatre, Chad will give you your ticket…" Troy started to inform her.

"Wait! Did you just say Chad? As in my best friend Chad or as in you-know-someone else named Chad?" Gabriella asked in confusion.

"Well I don't know about you, but I personally know only one Chad Danforth." Troy shrugged his shoulders while Gabriella gasped in surprise. What the hell was Chad doing there? She couldn't imagine **him** being any help to Troy's crew, but oh well.

"Wow." She breathed out still not believing that her best friend actually got a job.

"Anyway." Troy interrupted her musing. "When you get to the red carpet. Pose for few photos but not too much. Don't look like an attention seeking woman but don't look like you have a stick up your ass either. Move as fast as you can though and I will meet you inside. Got it?"

"Yes, sir." Gabriella said sarcastically. And she thought movie premiers were all about fun.

"So, what else did you and Sharpay do when you were kids?" Gabriella asked in a casual voice, wanting to sound indifferent, even though she was dying to find out more for few days now.

"Just the normal things kids do. Why?" Troy answered while shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh no reason at all. Just curious." Gabriella said quickly. "So did you teach her basketball?" she once read in some teen magazine in the waiting room of her dentist, that Troy liked playing basketball so she brought it up.

"Yea, but even when she was small, she was too scared to break her nails or make her pink dresses dirty. So not much basketball there." Troy chuckled at the memory.

"What about biking?" Gabriella pushed.

"We went biking, but it was actually Ryan who taught her. That guy has loads of patience let me tell you. Unbelievably calm!" Troy said. Score! Gabriella smiled and felt her mood being lifted. Troy taught **her** how to ride a bike but he didn't teach Sharpay. Now that felt so good!

"Right…" she said with a secret smile and looked out of the window.

* * *

Gabriella felt nervous. After changing and doing her hair and make up, she sat into an awaiting black limo and was on her way to the Los Angeles Theatre. To say she was nervous was an understatement. There were butterflies all over her stomach and she was seriously considering telling the driver to turn back around.

Taking a deep breath, she indicated the driver to open her doors for her. As soon as she set her foot on the red carpet, she was met by millions of flashes and people screaming.

"Who's that?" she heard one reporter say and few fans mumble.

"Mrs. Bolton this way!" a tall man with a camera yelled and Gabriella turned to him. Remembering Troy's advice, she quickly smiled into his camera and moved along. Suddenly, she could hear people shouting "Mrs. Bolton" and "Gabriella" all over the place. Posing at various spots, she walked down towards the doors and into the pool of people, out of the limelight.

"Gabby! Gabriella!" suddenly someone yelled and she turned towards the voice. Looking around, she spotted Chad and Taylor moving in the crowd towards her and waving.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked in surprise when they finally reached where she was standing.

"I work here and Taylor just wanted to see the celebrities so I took her with me." Chad said casually and Taylor nodded.

"You idiots." Gabriella rolled her eyes and smiled.

"You look great by the way. I saw so many bachelors looking at you!" Taylor gushed and touched the silk material of Gabriella's peach colored dress.

"Thanks." She said and blushed.

"Here is your ticket by the way." Chad handed her the strip and walked always to attend to his duties.

"Wait! Who should I pay the money for this ticket to?" Gabriella called after him, but he was too far already to hear.

"Gabby?" Taylor suddenly called her.

"Yea?"

"Who is that hottie over there?" Taylor pointed behind Gabriella who turned around to see.

"Who? You mean Orlando Bloom? Or Ed Westwick?" Gabriella asked while looking at the two hot stars that were currently standing where Taylor pointed.

"No you dummy! I mean the tall blonde guy that is staring at you!" she said. Gabriella scanned the crowed once more and her eyes met with Ryan Evan's green pair. Giving him a small wave, Gabriella turned around and faced Taylor.

"Oh, that's just Ryan. He is the guy I work for right now and he is friends with Troy as well." She informed her best friend.

"Really? Well from what I can see, that boss of yours has the hots for you." Taylor smirked and kept looking at him.

"Ok, first, who the hell says "has the hots" anymore? And two, stop staring at him! He will think you are some kind of a freak. Oh and three, he so doesn't like me. We are just friends is all."

"Doesn't seem like that to me!" Taylor clicked her tongue. "He smiled at you after you turned around and checked you out." She smirked.

"Dude, just because someone smiled at me doesn't meant that they like me okay? For example, Chace Crawford just smiled at me! and he doesn't even know my name, let alone like me." Gabriella tried to reason with Taylor who was still smirking knowingly.

"Whatever…" Taylor trailed off in a sing song voice. Gabriella opened her mouth to retort but something bright pink and blonde caught her eye.

"Excuse me for a second, I have to take care of something." Gabriella said without taking her eyes of the target and started walking towards it.

"Okay…" Taylor trailed off with raised eyebrows and looked at Gabriella who was slowly making her way to a weird platinum blonde that was from head to toe in pink. Who was that?

* * *

"Excuse me, Sharpay?" Gabriella came up to the woman and tapped her on the shoulder, interrupting her conversation with Megan Fox.

"Yes?" Sharpay turned around with a bright smile. Her face however soon changed as she saw who it was. "Oh, Gabriella, lovely to see you here." She said.

"Yeah…" Gabriella trailed off. Not that lovely. Who uses "lovely" anyway?

"Do you need something?" Sharpay asked and crossed her arms. Uh, rude!

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something." Gabriella said and eyed Megan, who was standing in the hearing distance probably wanting to finish talking to Sharpay and know what Gabriella had to say.

"Well then talk." Sharpay snapped annoyed.

"Uh, but this is private?" Gabriella said nervously and looked around.

"Urgh, fine. This way." Sharpay rolled her eyes and they moved towards the less crowded area.

"Talk!" she ordered once they were sure no one could hear them.

"Well, you know Troy's wedding ring? Why did you have it?" Gabriella asked in rush. Better to have it over as soon as possible.

"Oh, no particular reason. I took it off of him and forgot to give it back." Sharpay said with a shrug.

"You should have given it to him right away. It's his wedding ring, it represents the promise that we made to each other." Gabriella said with a frown. Sharpay just laughed.

"For something that important he sure doesn't care about it that much. After all, who forgets things that are important to them?" Sharpay said with a smirk.

"Listen here Sharpay. Shit aside, I want you to leave Troy alone and stop calling or bugging him." Gabriella said angrily. Sharpay put a finger to her chin a pretended to think.

"No." she said bluntly and Gabriella's eyes widened in shock. Did she just say that?

"I-I am sorry, but what did you just say?" she asked.

"No. I am not going to stay away from Troy and there is nothing that you can do that will make me stay away." She said.

"You are such a bitch, really. Don't you have someone else? Oh no, wait. The guy that you love rejected you!" Gabriella exclaimed and Sharpay gasped.

"W-what?" she said.

"I don't know. You tell me." Gabriella crossed her arm. Sharpay took a deep breath to recompose her self.

"You know what? We can compete about who will catch Troy's attention. What do you say? If I win, I get to do whatever you want and you fuck off, if you win, I will never bother you lovebirds again." Sharpay said.

"Excuse me?" Gabriella chocked out. Un-fucking-believable!

"You heard me." Sharpay smiled. "Have a nice day Gabriella, I really hope you enjoy the premier." She said with a sweet voice and walked away.

* * *

Gabriella couldn't focus on the movie. As good as it seemed, the images just passed by her eyes and the words went into one ear and left the other. Was Sharpay serious? How could they just compete like that? Troy wasn't a piece of meat! Anyway, the game was on and no matter what, Gabriella knew she would lose. She couldn't compete against a vicious person like that.

"Hey, you ok?" Troy asked her in concern. They two of them were walking down the hall of the theatre after the premier. Troy decided he wouldn't go to the after party and Gabriella just wanted to get out of the uncomfortable clothes and heels.

"Yea, I am fine. Let's go home." She sighed tiredly.

"Uhm, actually, I made plans with Sharpay now. But I will come back for dinner." Troy said while rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Oh." Gabriella's face fell even more. So Sharpay had already started huh? That woman sure works fast.

Troy felt bad. It's not like he didn't want to spend time with her. He did. When Sharpay asked him to hang after the premier, he asked if Gabriella could come with them. However, Sharpay said no right away and there was nothing Troy could do about it.

"Well I will see you later. I arranged Chad to take you home ok?" Troy said and after receiving a nod from Gabriella, he walked towards his car.

While walking, Troy took out his phone and dialed a number?

"_Hello?"_ Chad picked up on the second ring.

"Chad, I need you to take Brie home and take care of her. Get her some lunch and make sure she is okay. Got it?" Troy gave the instructions.

"_Sure, no problem."_

"Thanks, bye." He closed his phone and sped off.

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A/N: Pretty long huh? A bit of drama there for you! What do you think? Review!


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews people! Yes, Sharpay is a bitch. You know bitches hang out with bitches and in this case she hung out with Megan Fox…*cough cough* what does that mean?**

**ENJOY! AND REVIEW!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing here is ours.**

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Chapter 20

_Previously:_

"_When you get to the red carpet. Pose for few photos but not too much. Don't look like an attention seeking woman but don't look like you have a stick up your ass either. Move as fast as you can though and I will meet you inside. Got it?" _

_----_

"_Really? Well from what I can see, that boss of yours has the hots for you." Taylor smirked and kept looking at him._

_----_

"_You know what? We can compete about who will catch Troy's attention. What do you say? If I win, I get to do whatever you want and you fuck off, if you win, I will never bother you lovebirds again." Sharpay said._

* * *

Memories. Some are happy, some are sad, but we constantly find ourselves looking back at them and reliving them. Places? Moments? People? Events? So many things. There are memories you want to forget. There are memories you want to cherish forever. There are memories that you want to relive and then there are memories that you try to live in forever.

When Troy picked Sharpay up from her house, the two of them decided to head to the place where most of their childhood memories came from, the East Elementary School.

"Remember the time you protected me from Jimmy?" Sharpay laughed as she recalled her memory.

"Oh yea, he tried to make you his queen and get you to marry him." Troy said after he finally remembered what she was talking about.

"How did you scare him away again? I can't seem to recall it." Sharpay said with a thoughtful face and a small smile playing on her lips.

"I threatened him that I won't let him play with my Power Rangers set anymore." Troy said while Sharpay burst out laughing. The two of them walked towards the set of swings on the school playground and sat down on them.

"I remember giving my cookies and sharing my crayons with you." Sharpay said with a sad smile. There are some memories you just wish to get back.

"Yea, the cookies were delicious and you had the box of crayons with 16 different colours and the sharpener. What can I say?" Troy chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. While swinging back and forth, he suddenly remembered the time when he and Gabriella sat on the swings. The way she pushed him so high, he started yelling at her and threatening her. Recalling the words he said and Gabriella's reaction, Troy laughed out.

"What is so funny?" Sharpay asked with a smile and Troy bit his lip. He couldn't say that he was thinking of Gabriella while being with Sharpay. He had already promised her that she would be his number one priority all the time.

"Oh I just remembered how that Katie girl threw sand on your brand new dress and you put worms into her lunch box. Evil, pure evil." Troy covered his thoughts up with another memory.

"Yea, never liked that girl anyway. She is a waitress in the French restaurant downtown now, I think." Sharpay said thoughtfully.

".god!" Sharpay suddenly shrieked out.

"What?" Troy said with concern.

"Do you remember that one time when you kissed me and I started crying?" Sharpay said with a big smile on her lips.

"Oh God…" Troy groaned and closed his eyes in pain.

"Yea, but then, you bought me ice cream so it was all good." Sharpay giggled.

"Yeah." Troy said with a nervous laugh.

"Hey look there." Sharpay pointed to the school doors where a teacher was currently walking out of.

"Hey is that Ms. Jenny?" Troy asked while squinting his eyes to see better. While Troy focused on the teacher, Sharpay leaned over and kissed Troy on the cheek. Troy immediately forgot about the teacher and turned to her in shock.

"Want some ice cream?" Sharpay bit her lip and stood up.

"Ye-yea." He said while touching his cheek. Troy stood up and walked towards Sharpay, who was already standing by the shop. The two of them got a strawberry ice cream and Troy paid.

"I love coming here, it's so peaceful and brings back so many memories." Sharpay breathed in deeply.

"True." Troy said while biting on his ice cream.

"Ew. You still bite on your ice cream?" Sharpay said and shook her head with a laugh.

"Hey! Leave me alone! That is the best way to eat ice cream you know?" Troy defended himself and sat back down on the swing.

"So weird…" Sharpay mused and stared at him.

"What?"

"Nothing." Sharpay looked down at her cone with a sad expression.

"You know what my dream is and always was?" Sharpay asked after a while.

"Becoming a world famous designer?" Troy guessed.

"No." she shook her head. "Since I was a kid, I always wanted to grow up and become a good wife." Troy almost dropped his ice-cream at this. Since when?

"Calling you and bothering you, I know it's not something I should do. But if I don't have you with me, by my side, I think it would all be too hard and I would suffer a lot." Sharpay continued while Troy just sat there and listened in shock.

"I am sorry that I am the way I am."

* * *

Where was he? The dinner was already cooked and she also set the table. He said he would come so he should be home already. Gabriella was worried. What if something happened to him?

Suddenly, a door being unlock could be heard throughout the whole house and Gabriella sighed in relief.

"Hey." Troy said as he appeared in the kitchen door.

"Hi, the dinner's ready." Gabriella informed him as if he couldn't see it himself or smell the aroma that was all over the first floor. Troy just nodded and sat down.

"So, where did you go today?" Gabriella asked after they both started eating.

"We went to our old elementary school." Troy said and continued chewing.

"What?! But isn't that like in Albuquerque, New Mexico?" Gabriella said in shock.

"Yea. So?" Troy shrugged his shoulders.

"So? So this is Los Angeles, California. Freaking far from your elementary school." Gabriella said.

"Ever heard of a private jet? Sharpay wanted to go, so she asked her dad to set up a jet." Troy said.

"Oh." Gabriella said sadly and just continued eating without saying another word.

"What's with you?" Troy asked, picking up on her mood but Gabriella just shook her head and kept on eating.

"You want some ice cream?" Troy said after observing her. However, he didn't get the reaction he hoped for. Instead, Gabriella dropped her fork and looked at Troy, her eyes full of fire.

"Ice-cream?! I NEVER want to eat ice cream again! Never! Don't you ever mention ice-cream again! I don't want it!" she started screaming and Troy winced.

"Well then what do you want?" Troy asked in confusion.

"Roses! From now on buy me roses instead!" Gabriella continued yelling. How dare he, give her something he gives to Sharpay!

"But they are so expensive!" Troy complained.

"Who cares! I want roses! Roses!" Gabriella screamed and hit the table. Suddenly, Troy burst out laughing and threw his head back.

"Why are you laughing?! Stop laughing!" she said with a frown.

"It's my life! I can laugh if I want to!" Troy said and continued laughing.

"Don't laugh because it attracts me!" Gabriella said and Troy immediately shut up.

"Troysie, if you protect someone, it means that you love them right?" she continued and Troy nodded, unsure. "Then you can protect Sharpay, because I will protect you." She said.

"Troy Bolton, I think I am falling in love with you…" the whole house was quiet and Gabriella held her breath. What the hell did she just say?

Suddenly, Troy burst out laughing again and Gabriella was forced to laugh along.

"That was so funny!" Troy exclaimed and laughed some more.

"Yea…one big joke. Good huh?" Gabriella laughed nervously.

"Hell yeah! You almost got me there for a moment! I really thought you were serious! Good actress!" Troy said and chuckled.

"I know…"

* * *

She was fucking stupid! What the hell was she thinking? Pouring her heart out. He thought it was all just a fucking joke!

Gabriella swept the floor and banged her head against the wall.

"You know, banging your head like that is not very healthy." Troy said with a smirk while tying his tie. Gabriella turned around in surprise.

"Oh, didn't see you there." She chuckled nervously.

"Yea, obviously." Troy rolled his eyes. "I need to go to my office for a while. Harry wanted to talk to me or something. I think it's an interview. But I might be able to make it back for lunch. Don't know yet." He said and turned around.

"Ok." Gabriella mumbled.

"Oh and…" Troy turned around at the front door.

"Yea?" Gabriella looked at him.

"Honey, I love you too." He said with a smirk and opened the door.

"Fuck you!" Gabriella yelled and threw a wet towel at him.

* * *

Interviews, interviews and more interviews. That's what Troy's everyday life was now, right after the premier of his new movie. Some would think it's fun. Some would think it's interesting but Troy thought they are stupid. Sure, the only thing he had to do was answer few simple questions about the movie and get over it but with Troy Bolton, the questions were never simple, or about the movie.

"Tell me Mr. Bolton, what is going on between you and Sharpay Evans? Is it true that you have an affair with her, behind Gabriella's back?" the reporter asked in a casual tone.

"I am sorry, but I don't quite see how this is related to the movie." Troy said with a clenched jaw. He was using all his power to keep himself from punching that guy straight in the face.

"True, but do you have feelings for her? Does Gabriella know Sharpay?" reporter kept asking, completely ignoring the fact that Troy just told him not to ask.

"That is completely irrelevant to this interview…" Troy started.

"In denial…" the reporter mumbled while scribbling down into his notepad.

"Sorry, what?" Troy asked angrily and leaned forward. In the corner of the room, Troy could hear Harry clearing his throat in warning.

"Some eye-witnesses spotted the two women talking during the premier of your movie, do you know what it was about?" the man asked, determined to fish something out.

"What? They talked?" Troy asked in confusion. How did he not know about it?

"Secret meeting between the women…possible cat-fight…" the reporter scribbled.

"Now listen you…" Troy started but Harry jumped in.

"I am sorry, but this interview is over. Thank you for your time. There will be someone to help you to the exit." Harry said and Troy took a deep breath through his nose. The reported stood up and with a nod left the room.

"This is not good, the rumors are spreading. People are going to be on your back even more than before. 20 Paparazzi before, 50 now." Harry said and shook his head.

"Well, what do you suggest we do then?" Troy asked with closed eyes. How the hell did this happen?

"Well, we could arrange and interview for you and Gabriella, you could deny all the rumors then. And if Gabriella speaks as well, it's going to be even better." Harry said with a hopeful tone.

"Gabriella? Oh god…" Troy trailed off. She is never going to agree with this! She hates him, why would she want to help him?

"Go home now and come back later, with Gabriella." Harry instructed and Troy got up.

"See you." Troy nodded and walked out.

* * *

"You actually came home for lunch." Gabriella exclaimed as she lifted her head up from the book she was currently reading and saw Troy at the door.

"Yea." He said and went towards the stairs.

"Mac and cheese?" Gabriella called after him.

"Sure." Troy walked up towards his room. Suddenly, Gabriella's phone rang.

"Yup?" She answered.

"_Gabi, it's me Taylor." _

"Oh hey! How's going?" Gabriella said with a smile.

"_Good, good. But I called to tell you something."_ Taylor said with a tone that put Gabriella off.

"What is it Tay?" she asked with concern.

"_So you know how Chad works for Troy right? Well, Chad told me that you guys will be doing an interview soon." _Taylor told her and Gabriella's eyes lit up.

"An interview?" she asked in excitement.

"_Don't sound so happy girl. From what Chad told me, the interview is to cover up the rumors about him and that blondie you talked to. Apparently, everyone thinks they have an affair behind your back."_ Taylor said and Gabriella dropped her phone in shock. The line went dead.

Gabriella stood there in shock. Affair? And he has the guts to ask her to cover up for him? How dare he! That jerk!

"Brie? Are you alright?" Troy came down and saw Gabriella standing in the middle of the room, phone on the floor.

"Brie?" Troy came to her and shook her.

"What?" Gabriella snapped at him and turned to walk into the kitchen.

"Uhm, lunch?" Troy asked.

"Yea, whatever." She said and started to prepare mac and cheese.

"So, Harry wanted us to do an interview this afternoon. Can you do it?" Troy asked in hopeful face. Gabriella gripped the stirring spoon tightly and shut her eyes. Breathing in and out deeply, she turned around and looked at him.

"Sorry, but I don't think I can." Gabriella said in a tight tone.

"What? Why?" Troy exclaimed.

"I…" Shit! What was she supposed to say now? _I talked to Taylor and she told me what jerk you are? That you want me to cover up your shit?_

"I have too many house chores to do." Gabriella quickly turned around and poured the food out onto the plates.

"Oh come on! It's just chores! You can do them some other time!" Troy pleaded.

"Sorry, I have to follow the contract. Chores are priority, if they are not completed I cant do anything. That would break the contract and I can't afford that." Gabriella shook her head and put the two plates down on the table.

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A/N: Ah-mazing reviews…but we know u guys can do it better! LIKE IT????


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: We are terribly sorry! We know this update is friggin late…but u gotta understand…right? School takes SO much time and we can hardly squeeze in any social life, let alone FFN. But here it is and enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: No, we STILL don't own anything.**

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Chapter 21

_Previously:_

"_Troy Bolton, I think I am falling in love with you…" the whole house was quiet and Gabriella held her breath._

_---_

"_Honey, I love you too." He said with a smirk_

_---_

"…_arrange and interview for you and Gabriella, you could deny all the rumors then…"_

* * *

Since the very beginning of civilization, women were always the ones to do house chores. They cooked, cleaned and took care of children. And men? They just brought money into the house and watched TV with a beer in their hands. Was there a reason for this? Why couldn't it be all the opposite way? Maybe it was because women were always good and multitasking or maybe because men felt lost when they touched a broom.

Troy felt lost too. How the hell did you use this thing? He looked at all the equipment nervously. When he promised to do chores for Gabriella in exchange for her doing the interview, he thought it would be one, two, three easy. Guess he was wrong.

He didn't know where to start, what to do first or what to use for what.

"You know, even if you stare at the broom longer, it's not going start cleaning the house itself." Gabriella's voice startled him and he turned around to see her smirking, with a bowl of popcorn in her hands.

"Haha, very funny. Now where do I start?" Troy asked her and looked around with hopelessness.

"Well, the bathrooms are clean." Gabriella said thoughtfully. "so you just have to clean the windows, do the laundry and clean the floors." She listed off.

"That shouldn't be a problem…" Troy said.

* * *

"Hey! You just missed a spot here!" Gabriella called after him from the couch where she was sitting and watching TV. Although, she soon found out that watching Troy cleaning was far more entertaining than the movie.

"What are you talking about? I didn't miss anything! It's all clean here." Troy said with frustration. This was the 20th time she told him about a spot he missed and from what he could see, she liked doing it far too much.

"Yes you did! See that spot? It's dirty!" Gabriella pointed to the corner of the living room.

"How can you know it's dirty! It's so far from the couch, there is no chance you would be able to see even a speck of dirt from here." Troy snorted and started wiping the table.

"It's called laser eyes. Don't you know? All females have it." Gabriella informed him casually.

"Are you serious?" Troy asked impressed. He didn't know that!

"Yes, now start cleaning." She answered and rolled her eyes. Idiot.

* * *

Gabriella was still excited even though she knew the real reason behind all of this. It was a fucking interview for crying out loud! Tons of people will read it! How exciting!

"Hello Gabriella, I am so glad you could make it here." Harry greeted her with a big smile.

"Hi Harry. Yes, I didn't have anything else to do seeing as all of my work at home was done." She nodded and smirk at Troy who growled quietly.

"Let's get to the interview shall we?" Harry said and the couple nodded. All three of the took the elevator and arrived at a room that had many comfortable couches and seats.

"This is the interview room." Harry informed Gabriella "the reporter will come soon and we also need you guys to pose for few pictures ok?"

Troy nodded and sat down in the nearest seat. He looked at Gabriella and rolled his eyes. She was still standing and looking around the room with awe. He didn't know what she saw in it. It was just a room with a lot of sofas. No big deal. Reaching over, Troy grabbed he hand and pulled her down to the seat next to him.

Gabriella opened her mouth to say something, but the elevator opened and 2 men stepped out.

"Hello Mr. Bolton, Mrs. Bolton." One of the guys said. He was the reporter as the other guy hand an expensive looking camera in his hands. The photographer.

"Hi. So shall we start?" Troy asked. He wanted this to be over as soon as possible. Not only was he getting a bit hungry, but he also dreaded all the questions that were to be fired in their way in the next few moments.

"Of course." The reporter nodded eagerly. The sooner he gets gossip, the better. "We want to take few pictures of you two first though. Is that ok?" Troy looked at Gabriella and she nodded.

"Great!" the reporter said with a clap.

After posing for few photos, all four of them sat down.

"So, Gabriella, tell me. How does it feel to be Mrs. Bolton? This was the position millions of girls and women around the world dreamed of since forever." The reporter asked while holding out a recorder towards her.

"Uhm, I guess as feel special that Troy had chose me instead of one of the millions of women around the world." She mumbled out and Troy squeezed her hand.

"What is his favorite meal right now?" This was an easy question and Gabriella smiled at the memory.

"Mac and Cheese." She answered without hesitation. Right next to her, Troy chuckled and nodded.

"Interesting. But now, enough of these questions. Let's jump to the main topic." The reporter said and the pair tensed up.

"What, uhm, what do you want to know?" Troy asked while clearing his throat.

"Gabriella, would you say that your husband and Ms. Sharpay Henney are close?" the reported asked.

"Of course, they had known each other since they were small kids. They help out each other and when things get rough, they give each other advice. It's great to have a friend like Sharpay." Gabriella answered and Troy stared at her in shock. Since when was she such a great actress and liar?

"Impressive… So you don't feel threatened at all by Sharpay?" the reported asked with raised eyebrows. Gabriella laughed and shook her head.

"What is there to be threatened about? She was there before me and I am the one who came in later. I accept the fact that she will always have a special place in Troy's heart. But I know his heart is big enough for me as well, that's all I am asking for." She answered and looked at Troy who was also staring at her.

"Well, Gabriella, what do you think of the rumors that are flying around then?"

"When I read about them, I laughed. They are best friends, of course they will meet up a lot or is there a rule now that when you are married you can't have friends anymore?" she said with a raised eyebrow.

"Touché." The reporter laughed and turned of his recorder. "Well, as nice as it was talking to you, I think we have enough information. Thank you so much for your time." They all stood up and shook hands.

"No, thank you that you had the time to go and meet us." Troy said. The two man walked towards the elevator and left. When they were finally alone, Gabriella fell back into the sofa and breathed out deeply.

"Wow, I didn't know you were so good in acting." Troy said impressed and sat back down next to her.

"Shut up." Gabriella said and closed her eyes. Who knew lying could take so much of your energy away?

"Thank you." Troy said and Gabriella opened her eyes. This time, however, they were blazing with fire.

"You know, it's okay for you to continue seeing Sharpay but please do it more discreetly. I don't want people ending up feeling sorry for me because they think my husband is cheating on me." she said with venom in her voice.

"If you ask me to cover up for you again." Gabriella threatened, "I wont make dinner anymore!" she said after a lot of thinking. "How annoying!" she called out and hit the cushion next to her. "It's so pathetic that I cant even threaten you with anything else!" Troy just sat there for a moment before bursting out laughing.

"Besides, it's not true. You still have that I'll-pack-my-bags-and-leave thing." He added after a while.

"Nope, that doesn't really threaten you." Gabriella shook her head.

"No, the house seems dark and lonely without you." Troy said with a small voice and his eyes softened. Gabriella looked at him with a goofy smile.

"Really?" she asked in whisper. Troy went to agree but then remembered what he was doing.

"I mean, there is no one else to turn on the lights and the heater for me." he retorted and Gabriella just glared at him.

* * *

"_Hey! Come over to my house! I am so bored." _Sharpay whined into the phone and Troy could immediately picture her pouting.

"Sorry Pay, but I can't. I am too busy this week. Maybe some other day though?" he said while looking out of the window in his house. The view here was spectacular and he was glad that Stacy actually found this house for him. She wasn't that useless after all.

"Mac and Cheese is ready!" Gabriella called him from the kitchen.

"_Mac and Cheese huh? I see how busy you are." _Sharpay snorted.

"Pay, listen, I can explain." Troy said.

"_Yes you can, meet me now. I will be waiting. Unless, Mac and cheese and that girl are more important to you then me." _the line went dead.

Troy stared at the phone and slid it shut. What the hell?

"Troy! Come on! Are you eating or what?" Gabriella called again.

"Uh, no, I have an appointment I forgot about. I have to go now." Troy said when he came into his kitchen to take his car keys.

"Oh, ok."

"Are you avoiding me?" Sharpay asked bluntly the moment Troy sat down in her living room.

"No." he mumbled.

"This is about the rumors isn't it?" when Troy didn't respond, she carried on. "Just deny the rumors, not a big deal! It's not as if this was your first scandal." She said with annoyance.

Troy still didn't react and with a sigh, Sharpay sat down next to him. Touching his shoulder she willed him to look at her.

"What are you so afraid of?" she asked in a soft voice. Suddenly, Troy stood up and ran his hand through his hair in frustration.

"What am I afraid of?" he asked in a raised voice. "I am afraid of strangers bothering you! I am afraid of the rumors and scandals possibly affecting you! I am afraid that you will get hurt because when you are hurt, I hurt thousand times more!" he yelled while she just sat there staring at him.

"If I leave Ryan and get over him, will you come to me then?" Sharpay asked in a low voice. Troy stopped pacing in shock. Would he? Million thoughts ran around his head. He knew that if she had asked him few months or even weeks before, he would have said yes right away. But now, when he opened his mouth to say yes, he couldn't. Nothing came out. Only one picture came to his mind.

Gabriella.

"You have to keep your promise." Sharpay whispered but Troy heard her very clearly. "You told me that you wont let got of my hand until I let go of yours. Remember that." She said with tears in her eyes.

* * *

The movie wasn't that bad. Yes, Troy was in basically every scene and yes he showed of his six pack constantly. But it wasn't bad. She actually quite liked it. **(You know G.I. Joe people! Think of him as Duke!) **

"You liked it?" Ryan asked her as they walked out of the theatre with a left over bag of popcorn.

"Yea, I didn't get to watch it properly during the premier so that was great." Gabriella said with a smile and reached for the munchies.

"You know, I am a busy man. Yet I always make time for you." Ryan mused and looked at her. Gabriella didn't know what to say to this, so she looked at the floor.

"So what do you say, we eat dinner now. You hungry?" Ryan offered with a smile as if the previous words haven't been said.

"Sounds great. Even with my stomach full of popcorn, I am actually starving!" Gabriella exclaimed and he laughed.

"Good." Unknown to the couple, there was another couple standing near by that was watching them.

"Oh"

"My"

"God!" Taylor breathed out.

"Hey! Why is it always you who says the "god" part?" Chad whined.

"Shut up! Gabriella is there and with the guy from the premier!" Taylor said in excitement but Chad frowned.

"That's not her husband. Why is she going out on dates with other men when she is married?" he mumbled and took his phone out.

"Who cares? He is hot!" Taylor said, oblivious to her own husband dialing a number. Chad couldn't let this happen. If something went wrong, the two of the broke up, Chad would get fired. And the last time he got fired, it took him 2 years to find a new job. Meanwhile he had to sell his best friend's house and con her so badly. He didn't wish to repeat all of that.

"_Talk to me." _

"Hey Troy, It's me Chad."

"_Ah, Danforth, what do you want?" _

"Me? Nothing. But I thought that you might want to know that Gabriella is on a date with Mr. Evans right now."

"_With Ryan?" _

"Yes."

"_Alright, thanks. I will take care of it." _Troy said and hung up.

* * *

Gabriella was about to order her food when her phone rang.

"Yes?" she answered.

"_Where are you right now?"_ Troy's voice came out and Gabriella frowned. She didn't like his tone at all.

"I am about to eat dinner now. Why?"

"_Go home."_ He ordered simply.

"No." Gabriella said with a firm voice and looked at Ryan who was seated opposite of her.

"_Actually, grandma is very sick right now so we have to go and visit her."_ Troy said and Gabriella immediately began to worry.

"Really? Oh no, what's wrong with her?" she asked.

"_I don't know yet. We need to go there now."_ He answered.

"Alright, I will meet you at home in 20 minutes." She said and shut her phone. Standing up, she smiled at Ryan apologetically.

"I am so sorry, but I have a family emergency right now. I will make it up to you some other time though." Ryan just smiled at her warmly and shook his head.

"No, it's okay. It's an emergency. Of course that has to come first. Don't worry about it."

"Thanks." Gabriella said in hurry and practically run out of the restaurant, leaving Ryan sitting there.

* * *

"I cant believe you!" Gabriella yelled at Troy in the car. "How could you do that? Make up something like this!" After Gabriella had come back, the two of them set of to the Bolton residence. Upon arriving, Elizabeth herself greeted them and Gabriella was more than surprised that she was alright.

"No my fault! I must have dreamt it all up when I fell asleep on the couch and then forgot that it was just a dream!" Troy defended himself.

"You are such a jerk!" Gabriella huffed and crossed her arm.

* * *

To: Gabriella

**From: Ryan Evans**

**Date: 30/8/09 9:36**

**Subject: My birthday**

**Hey! It's my birthday today and I was thinking: How about we go for that lunch you owe me? Ryan.**

Gabriella read the message and smiled. Flipping her Nokia N97 to her keyboard, she began typing.

**To: Ryan**

**From: Gabby**

**Date: 30/8/09 9:40**

**Re: Subject: My Birthday**

**I owe you dinner, not lunch but ok. Happy Birthday! Meet you at 12.30 in La Brasserie. Gabby x.**

"Who was that?" Troy asked curiously while eating his eggs. Gabriella glared at him and put her phone down.

"Not that it's any of your business, but that was Ryan. It's his birthday today and we are going out for lunch." She informed his and Troy almost chocked on his food.

"Oh I don't think so. You cant go." Troy said

"And why is that?" Gabriella challenged him, leaning closer over the table.

"You have to do chores. Besides you cant go if I don't allow you to go." Troy told her with an equally challenging look while also leaning towards her.

"Oh yea? Watch me." Gabriella whispered with a smirk, their faces few centimeters apart, and stood up with her empty plate.

"You wont go." Troy called after her when she went up the stairs.

"We will see who's right!" Gabriella answered playfully and laughed.

"Women." Troy mumbled and took a forkful of scrambled eggs.

* * *

Quietly, one foot, then the other… Holding her breath, Gabriella made her way down the stairs, he high heels in her hands. 5 steps and she would be out. 4, this was easier than she thought it would be. 3, speaking of easy, where is Troy anyway? 2, shit she didn't have a present for Ryan yet. 1, she took the handle and began opening the door…

"I don't think so!" Troy said right behind her. Gabriella jumped up and spun around, her right hand right on her heart.

"You almost gave me a heart attack! Can you not be a creep and appear normally?" Gabriella said with a nervous laugh.

"Where do you think you are going?" Troy asked with a smirk. Shit, Busted.

"Uhm, I am going to throw out the trash." Gabriella said. Yes, good answer.

"Trash? But I don't see any. Unless you mean these shoes you are holding." Troy pointed at her Jimmy Choo's. Gabriella looked at him as if he was crazy.

"Are you stupid? These are Jimmy Choo's they cost…" Gabriella began but her eyes widened with realization. Troy had tricked her.

"They cost what?" Troy asked triumphantly. He was so winning this argument hands down.

"I mean… they are last season after all. I am throwing them out. You are right, this is the trash." Gabriella said while wincing. If Troy knew how much these words hurt her…

"Really?" Troy asked in surprise.

"Yea, so now if you will excuse me. I have some trash to throw out…" Gabriella said while taking the set of keys from the table and walking out of the door. Suddenly, she turned around and slammed the door shut. Locking it fast, she ran off onto the street and to the bus stop where, luckily, the bus was just pulling over.

The set of keys she took were hers, but she knew that Troy always kept his upstairs so by the time he would be able to open the door, she would be long gone. Thinking about her genius plan, Gabriella giggled and looked out of the window.

* * *

The date was going really well so far. Gabriella came to the restaurant and Ryan was already sitting there. After they ordered food, they made a small talk.

"You look great today." Ryan complimented her and Gabriella blushed.

"Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself." She smiled and looked at his Armani suit. Ryan looked at her with a smile for a while and Gabriella began to feel self conscious.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" she asked him but Ryan shook his head with a small laugh.

"Why don't you like me?" Ryan wondered out loud and Gabriella chocked on her water.

"Excuse me?" she asked with wide eyes.

"I am actually very popular with girls." He continued "I am good looking, rich and have many talents…" he trailed of and looked at Gabriella.

"Do you have a prince complex?" she asked bluntly. Why did she always run into men that had this problem? First Troy, now Ryan. Instead of answering, Ryan burst out laughing.

"You were joking?" she exclaimed in shock.

"No, no, I am actually serious. Troy doesn't appreciate you enough. He doesn't know what he has and how lucky he is." Ryan said with a serious tone.

Gabriella didn't respond to this and just looked at her hands. Ryan took her chin and lifted her head up so she was looking at him.

"Will you like me?"

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A/N: This was long! We hope you like it! Review! Until next time…xoxo


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Hello!!! Dudes, the reviews could have been better but they were good :P although we really expected more for that cliffy at the end haha. **

**Many of you have complained that this goes on for too long. Sorry but this is how it's planned out and if you don't like it, then go and write your own story. Yes, it's the 22****nd**** chapter and their status is not 'official' yet, but u gotta understand that this story is different than most of the ones your read. Please be patient…we swear it's gonna b worth it :P**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: It's tiring to repeat that this is not nor ever will be owned by us.**

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Chapter 22

_Previously:_

"_Of course, they had known each other since they were small kids. They help out each other and when things get rough, they give each other advice. It's great to have a friend like Sharpay." Gabriella answered_

_***_

"_If I leave Ryan and get over him, will you come to me then?" Sharpay asked_

_***_

"_Will you like me?" _

* * *

What do you consider awkward? When two people meet and have nothing to say to each other? When the silence is too long? How about when one proclaims their feelings to the other and the other doesn't return it? Is that awkward? Think about it…

Gabriella felt awkward. What was she supposed to say after that? _"No sorry but I think I like my husband?" "Thanks?"_ In her opinion, schools should have taught things like that. There should have been a "Relationships 101".

The dinner went quite well. Gabriella chose to ignore Ryan's question and he was kind enough to go along with it. They made small talk and joked around as well. Gabriella secretly ordered a chocolate cake for Ryan as well and so they blew candles. It was pleasant but then the ride home. That was dreadful. No talking, no joking and no sound except for the small purr of the engine and occasional car passing. Gabriella spent her time thinking about her complicated situation and Ryan's head was full of doubts and questions. Did he fear her response? Yes. Did he regret telling her how he felt? No.

When they pulled up in front of Gabriella's house, she unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to him.

"Thanks for the ride and the dinner." She said in a quiet voice even though they were in the car and no one could hear them.

"Yea, I really liked it. We should do is again sometimes." He smiled and nodded. Another silence followed and they both felt that it was getting really awkward. As a writer, Gabriella immediately recognized this moment as the kissing scene in front of the house after the date. Ryan obviously thought so too.

"Do you, uhm, do you want to go inside?" she asked and cleared her throat.

"Erm… no thanks, it's pretty late so I should be getting home." He answered in an equally nervous voice.

"Oh, ok. Well, I will see you some other time." Gabriella gave him a small awkward wave and went to open the car door. However, she stopped and turned around again.

"You know, when you feel sick, bored or you want someone to eat with, you can call me and I will like you." Gabriella said and stared at him.

"I will hold on to that." Ryan answered with a nod.

"Ok, see you." She whispered and quickly stepped out of the car. Before turning around to wave him goodbye, she noticed the curtains in the living room move.

"Ah, Troy's home." She mumbled and looked at Ryan.

"Sorry, what?" he asked confused.

"Nothing, bye!" Gabriella quickly denied and smiled.

Giving a small wave, Ryan started the car again and rolled up the windows. Waiting till the car turned around the corner, Gabriella breathed out heavily and made her way to the front door. Opening it, she dropped the keys into the basket on the small table and went into the living room. There on the couch, Troy lay and pretended to sleep. When she stepped in, he suddenly started stretching and opened his eyes.

"Oh, you came home already." He said with a yawn and Gabriella rolled her eyes. Great actor.

"Yea."

"So did Ryan just drive you home?" Troy asked casually. Gabriella sighed and went to sit next to him.

"Yup and I invited him in but he said that it was too late." She answered.

"Why did he want to see you today? Is your synopsis actually going to be made into a movie?"

"It's was nothing like that." Gabriella shook her head. "It's actually his birthday today." She told him.

"Oh really?" Troy asked with raised eyebrows and she frowned at him.

"You say he is your close friend and yet you don't know his birthday?" she asked incredulously.

"Psh! Even he doesn't remember his own birthday." Troy shrugged his shoulders and Gabriella gasped.

"Birthdays are supposed to be remembered by those around not the person themselves!"

"Anyway…it's his birthday…so?" Troy asked.

"well seems like he had no family to celebrate with so I ate with him... when someone has money and they are feeling lonely, they have nothing to do with each other." Gabriella answered and shook her head.

"So is that all? You guys just ate?" Troy said and masked his curiosity by taking a sip of his water.

"Actually, he asked me if I could like him." Gabriella informed him with a shrugged. Upon hearing this, Troy spit out his water and she immediately touched his back. "Oh god, are you ok?" she asked with concern.

"Yea, yea, I am fine." He responded with a cough. "So…so…what did you say?" he asked carefully, kind of scared about her response. Gabriella shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

"What was I supposed to say? I said ok, that I would like him. I made Ryan laugh so I told him that I will keep making him laugh. And when he is lonely, I will be his friend. You know what else he said though?" Gabriella looked at him. "He said that you don't know Gabriella Bolton's potential at all. You don't appreciate me enough. To you I am only like a machine to make food but I can be like a present to someone."

"Present?" Troy wondered and scrunched up his nose in confusion.

"Cute." Gabriella breathed out.

"What?" turned to her and asked. Gabriella sat up straighter and cleared her voice.

"Uhm, nothing. Have you eaten yet?" she decided to change the subject.

"No I haven't! Make my food now!" Troy suddenly burst out, remembering his enormous hunger.

"Wow, you haven't eaten yet? Was it because you were waiting for me?" Gabriella asked with a smile.

"No! It's because I was busy the whole day and I just got home! Go and make my food now!" Troy denied and raised his voice.

"Go and make my food now blah blah blah." Gabriella imitated him and stood up. With a huff, she turned and walked into the kitchen.

"Present? A machine to make food is a present as well." Troy murmured before following Gabriella.

* * *

"Mr. Bolton? There is someone here who wants to meet you." Stacy knocked on Troy's office.

"Tell them to come in." he called out without looking away from the papers in his hands.

"Troy! That was how I left you the last time, nose in papers working on a next movie." Ryan exclaimed as he stepped into the room.

"Ryan!" Troy exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"What? Can't a friend visit another friend just to chat?" Ryan asked with a playful smirk.

"True." Troy stood up and went to give Ryan that universal man hug that seems to be installed in every guy's brain from since they are born.

"Hey man, I am sorry about forgetting your birthday yesterday." Troy apologized.

"It's ok man, I don't remember your birthday either." Ryan laughed.

"Erm, yea." Troy said with a half hearted chuckle.

"Listen, I have to talk to you." He added after a minute of silence.

"Shoot." Ryan nodded.

"It's about Gabriella." Troy said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"What about her?" Ryan said while playing with the paperweight on the table.

"It's ok for you to see her but when you do, you should tell me so I don't go to the wrong conclusions. Gabriella is different than other girls and you shouldn't really play with her like that." Troy said in one go.

"Interesting…" Ryan trailed off.

"What do you mean?" Troy frowned.

"What I mean is, I thought you only had eyes for Sharpay. Guess I was wrong then." Ryan smirked.

"You are wrong." Troy denied.

"Listen to me Bolton. Unless you are interested in her, what goes on between me and Gabriella is our business and you should stay the fuck away from it." Ryan said in a low voice while standing up. Giving a short nod to Troy, he turned around and left.

* * *

"You know, you really shouldn't get mislead by Ryan's kindness." Troy suddenly exclaimed with a full mouth during lunch.

"What are you talking about?" Gabriella asked with a raised eyebrows.

"Ryan is a player. He knows how to treat girls and he is a very good charmer. All I am saying is that you should be careful about that." Troy said.

"That's stupid." Gabriella shook her head. "Me and Ryan are just friends. Everyone knows I am married to you so it would be highly inappropriate and unethical of Ryan to make moves at Me." she denied.

"I am just giving you a bit of advice and warning you since you always have this thing about making people happy." Troy said casually.

"Huh?" she asked confused.

"What I am saying is that I don't want to give my machine to make food as a present so behave." Troy said and continued chewing while Gabriella almost chocked on her food.

* * *

The Bolton pair was currently sitting on the couch watching a movie about some kids forming a band in high school and competing in a huge battle of the bands or whatever. Troy was sipping his beer and Gabriella was munching on chips. Suddenly, she turned to Troy.

"I want to invite Ryan to our house. He always treats me out so I want to make dinner for him." She said and put more chips in her mouth.

"No." Troy answered right away.

"But why?" Gabriella pouted.

"I don't owe Ryan anything and this is my house, so we are not inviting him." He said in a firm voice and continued to watch the movie.

"Fine." Gabriella turned back to the TV with a frown and crossed her arms. Suddenly, an idea stuck Troy and he turned to her.

"You know what? I think it is a great idea to invite Ryan over! In fact, why don't I call him right now and tell him to come for dinner tonight?" Troy said cheerfully and stood up to go up to his room.

"Ok…ay." Gabriella said slowly with a frown and surprised. Is he bipolar or something?

"Oh shit." She exclaimed after a while. What was she going to cook? She will have to cook something that would impress both Troy and Ryan. A sudden thought came to her mind and she turned to the home phone. Dialing a number, she waited till someone picked up.

"Bolton residence, may I help you?" Elizabeth voice came out of the other end.

"Grandma!" Gabriella exclaimed in relief.

"Gabriella? What are you calling for?" Elizabeth clearly sounded surprised.

"How do you make chicken curry?" Gabriella blurted out and Elizabeth clicked her tongue.

"As a housewife, you should know how to make curry." She scolded her and carried on. "Come over here. I know how to make curry, I will teach you."

"Thank you!" Gabriella grinned widely and hung up the phone. Running to get her purse, she called out to Troy that she was going out and headed quickly to the bus stop.

* * *

"So put a bit of this in and a bit of that." Elizabeth instructed while Gabriella prepared the food. As soon as Gabriella arrived, the two women went into the kitchen and started on their curry.

"Ok, done. What now?" Gabriella asked after the spices have been added.

"Now we wait until it boils." Elizabeth said and wiped her hands against a towel. "Brownies?" she offered.

"Thanks." Gabriella grinned and took a piece. As soon as she bit into it, her eyes widened and she looked at Grandma.

"These are so good!" she complimented and Elizabeth smiled.

"This is the secret Bolton recepy. I will have to teach it to you some other day."

"Please do! By the way, can I take some home to give it as desert for tonight?" Gabriella asked and went to take a second one from the plate.

"But of course. Now, it's time to taste the curry." Elizabeth exclaimed. Gabriella took out a spoon and tasted the dish. As soon as it touched her taste buds, she spit it out immediately.

"It's horrible! Tastes like dishwasher water!" she moaned out while getting another brownie to wash away the taste.

"It cant be that bad." Elizabeth compromised and tasted the food herself. Upon putting it in her mouth, she immediately took a napkin a discreetly spit it all in.

"How could that be?" Gabriella said and noticed a piece of paper about to fall out of Elizabeth's pocket. Quickly grabbing it, she handed it to grandma, but a word caught her attention and before Elizabeth could take it, she snatched in back.

"Curry recepy for beginners." She read out loud and looked at Elizabeth with wide eyes.

"I thought you said you could make curry!" she exclaimed. Elizabeth blushed profusely.

"Oh, I think I am getting sick! The room is so dizzy." She suddenly exclaimed and gripped the counter. However, it was all too over dramatized that Gabriella immediately recognized it as being fake.

"You really hate me don't you?" she asked and burst out crying. Elizabeth immediately stopped pretending and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on, that's not true! How could I have known that it would be so hard to make curry?" she tried to make her daughter in law quiet but Gabriella just shook her head and continued crying.

"Gabriella, listen…" Elizabeth cleared her throat and started singing 'I'm a little teapot" song.

"What's going on here?" Lucille came in a frowned when she saw her mother in law dancing.

"Nothing! I am just showing Gabriella how to dance to this song properly." Elizabeth immediately said.

"Oh, that's why every second word of the song was wrong right? But you knew that." Lucille smirked and came over to the Curry pot. Tasting it, she scrunched up her nose.

"This is just terrible! Who made it?" she asked with a disgusted tone.

"We both did." Gabriella admitted. "Now I have no dinner to bring home." She complained with a pout. Lucille clicked her tongue and turned to the fridge. Taking out a huge container, she handed it to Gabriella.

"Here, this is home made lasagna. My own recepy." She said and Gabriella smiled.

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A/N: we are cutting it here. But next chapter is FULL of drama. What happens when someone finds out about their little contract? Review to get a faster update!


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: This update is late especially after that dreadful chapter 22. We apologize for that, but it had to be done haha. Yes, this story is fucking long and has WAY to many chapters… but bear with us. It gets better and better. Plus we have two new ideas for a story already! YAY!**

**Disclaimer: If we owned anything, we would have told you.**

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Chapter 23

_Previously:_

"_Actually, he asked me if I could like him."_

_***_

"…_To you I am only like a machine to make food but I can be like a present to someone else."_

_***_

"…_Unless you are interested in her, what goes on between me and Gabriella is our business and you should stay the fuck away from it."_

* * *

Ryan started up his car, when there was a sudden knock on his window. Rolling it down, he looked at the dark skinned woman grinning at him.

"Can I help you?" he asked politely.

"You are going to meet Gabriella now right?" she asked knowingly.

"What are you? A stalker?" Ryan asked, creeped out.

"No, no, nothing like that! I am actually her best friend. I saw you at the premier!" she exclaimed. "My name is Taylor Danforth – McKessie."

"Ryan Evans." They shook hands.

"I know. So I was wondering, I am heading there too and the bus takes too long. Can you give me a ride?" Taylor asked, suddenly shy.

"But of course! Hop in." Ryan said. You never say no to the ladies…that's what he said.

Another awkward moment. Taylor hated awkwardness. It was so stupid and uncomfortable. That's why she tried to start a conversation. However, it turned out that Ryan wasn't in the talking mood so his answers were all one word and cut short. Taylor soon got tired of it and started babbling.

"You know, me and my husband Chad, we knew Gabriella since we were all really small. I never thought that I would marry someone like Chad but really. I know he is slow, but that's what's cute. And oh my god the wedding? That was so amazing! I am actually pregnant now! Did you know that the house where the Gabby and Troy live right now actually belonged to Gabby first? If we hadn't conned her to get money, she wouldn't have to get into a contract marriage with Troy and this whole thing would be different. We would…" Taylor talked on a on.

"What?" Ryan interrupted her. Contract marriage? Taylor's eyes widened and she gasped.

"Oops." She mumbled and bit her lip. She didn't realize what she was saying and she thought Ryan wasn't listening to her! If that con she pulled didn't cause Gabriella to kill her, this certainly will.

* * *

The doorbell rang and Gabriella practically skipped her way there from the kitchen. Opening it, she saw Taylor standing at the door way. Her arms stretched out, holding a bag. Her head bowed.

"Please take this and forgive me!" she said with her head down. Gabriella took the bag in shock and Taylor turned around and ran to the bus stop.

"Taylor! Wait!" Gabriella called out after her but it was too late. Looking into the bag, she spotted a big watermelon. Yummy.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" a masculine voice said right in front of her and she looked up.

"Ryan! It's so good to see you! Come in." Gabriella exclaimed and ushered him inside. Calling Troy downstairs, she run into the kitchen and started sorting out the table.

"Hey man!" Troy greeted Ryan with a handshake.

"How's it going." Ryan nodded.

"Let's go into the living room, shall we?" Troy gestured towards the sofas.

"Sure."

"Let me get something to drink. Beer?" Troy offered and Ryan nodded. "Awesome, wait here." Running into the kitchen, he grabbed Gabriella's arm and dragged her down to the floor so they were hidden behind the big kitchen counter in the middle.

"What the hell?" Gabriella exclaimed in shock.

"Listen, during the dinner, I need you to fake sick. Pretend that you need to throw up and run into the bathroom ok?" Troy instructed her.

"Why?" she asked in confusion.

"Just do it ok? You have to do it!" Troy pleaded. Gabriella thought about it for a while. She didn't have anything to lose in here right? Why not.

"Fine! But not before I eat my whole plate got it? And the brownies! The food is too good to be missed on!" she said and Troy nodded.

"Ok." He agreed and stood up to finally get some beer.

"Dinner is ready in 2 minutes." Gabriella reminded him.

* * *

"Where did you learn to cook this? This is delicious!" Ryan complimented. Really, never had he tasted better Lasagnas.

"I know right? My wife is just so skillful in the kitchen." Troy agreed and emphasized the word 'wife'. He fully knew that this was his mom's lasagna. He could recognize this unique taste anywhere.

"True true." Ryan said with a lower voice. Gabriella just blushed and continued eating. This was really good. It was a good thing that she didn't really have to throw it all up. It would be such a waste to such good food!

"Wait till you taste the brownies! Gabriella makes them with the special Bolton recepy. They are just awesome." Troy boasted and Ryan nodded.

"Of course! The famous Bolton brownies! Haven't had one in years!" he said, remembering all those times he used to come to the Bolton residence and eat brownies.

"Yea… too long don't you think?" Troy said with a chuckle.

All three of them talked and joked around. Although you could feel that tension between all of them, the atmosphere looked quite warm from the outside. Finally it was time for the brownies and Gabriella took out vanilla ice cream for it as well.

"Oh god, heaven!" Troy called out when he saw what she was doing.

"No way! I haven't done this in years!" Ryan joined in with wide eyes and a huge smile. Both men looked like kids during Christmas. Gabriella just giggled and brought over the bowls.

"So, how did you get that car? Isn't it like supposed to be out in November or something? It's just September now." Troy suddenly asked and Gabriella rolled her eyes. Car talk. Great.

"Oh yea, I have connections you know." Ryan raised one of his eyebrows and smirked.

"Sweet!" Troy high-fived him. Suddenly, Gabriella felt a kick at her chair and she immediately knew what it meant. Troy still sat as if nothing happened though. Gabriella dropped her spoon loudly and gasped. Putting a hand over her mouth she mumbled "excuse me" and ran towards the bathroom. Ryan looked at the closed doors worriedly and Troy smirked.

"Is she ok?" Ryan asked with concern.

"Oh she is fine. You know," Troy shrugged as if it was nothing. "with pregnancy those sicknesses come quite often." He said.

"What?" Ryan exclaimed with wide eyes. Pregnant? Troy nodded with a smile.

"Yea, don't you know? Brie is pregnant! I am going to be a daddy!" he added. Ryan just rose wordlessly and took his coat.

"Excuse me, but I have to go." He said in a whisper. "Tell Gabby that the dinner was delicious and I really appreciated it. The best food I have ever tasted in my life." He said quickly and left through the front door.

"Will do." Troy mumbled when he heard that soft purr of the Mercedes S550 2010 edition.

* * *

Ryan was sitting in his office working or at least trying to work. The dinner yesterday started so nicely, how in the world did it end like that? He didn't even get to say a proper goodbye. Maybe he had over reacted? They were a married couple, it was normal that they would have children right? But then, why did that friend of Gabriella's say that it was fake? Nothing made sense. Ryan sighed out frustrated. Running his hands over his face, he heard a soft knock.

"Come in." he said and sat up straighter. Hearing the door open and close again, Ryan looked up.

"Hi." Sharpay said softly, a small bag in her hands.

"Hey Shar. What are you doing here?" he said a bit surprised by the sudden visit.

"It was your birthday few days ago." She told him as if he needed to be reminded of his own birthday. Of him getting older and older.

"Yea." He simply nodded.

"I am sorry I couldn't meet you sooner and give you this." She came closer to his desk and handed him the small gift bag. Without looking in it, Ryan took it put his into his drawer.

"Thank you." He said and Sharpay nodded. Sitting down, she sighed and opened her mouth to speak.

"This present is not just for your birthday but also as a thank you." She told him without looking into his eyes.

"Thank you for what?" Ryan asked confused.

"Thank you for everything. For all the things that you have done for me, for being my friend, for coming into my life and keeping it together for the past few years." Sharpay said.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Ryan said and shook his head.

"I realized that it's stupid to ask someone for something that they cant give you. I have waited for too long and I am tired of it. I want to let go, so much." She whispered almost in tears. Ryan just sat there, stunned.

"I am sorry for bothering you that much in the past years. I hope we can be friends though." She continued and stood up to leave.

* * *

"Are you busy tonight?" Troy asked Gabriella with a smile while she was cleaning the windows. She paused to think and shook her head.

"No I don't think so. Why?"

"I figured we could go out for dinner tonight. Since you cook all the time and stuff like that?" he shrugged his shoulders.

"Sure." Gabriella broke out into a grin.

"Good, I will meet you at Luna's at 6?" he suggested.

"Sounds good." Gabriella nodded and went back to cleaning.

**

* * *

**

To: Troy boy

**From: Pay**

**Date: 4/9/09 17:20**

**Meet me tonight at 6. I need to talk to you. Remember your promise. X**

Troy closed his phone after checking his new message. Silently cursing, he closed his eyes. He was supposed to meet Gabriella for dinner but now that Sharpay just texted him, his plans had to change. He had to come to her. No matter what.

Looking at the clock, he realized that he had 20 minutes to get to her apartment. Jumping up from his seat, he grabbed his keys and went to his car while dialing a familiar number.

"_Hey this is Gabriella, I can't currently get to you but don't be afraid to leave a message! I will get back to you as soon as possible!" _

Flipping his phone shut in annoyance, he entered his car. She left her phone somewhere again! Stupid voice mail!

* * *

Whenever the bell by the door rang, she lifted her head expectantly. Not him. She looked down in disappointment again. It was 6.30 now, surely he was stuck somewhere in the traffic. It was rush hour after all.

7.00 pm. The ringing of the doorbell rang through the air and stood up amongst the low murmur of hushed conversations and laughter. She was not the one laughing though. Looking up, she faced another disappointment but this time it was a harder blow. A happy couple walked in, holding hands and joking around. The waiter seated them right next to Gabriella's table and she had the pleasure of listening to them talking sweetly.

8.30 pm. She didn't know what to do. People came and went but he was never among the people that came, she was not among the people that went either but she felt like she should. What if he suddenly came and she was not here? What if he had already came and didn't see her so he left?

"I am sorry miss but we have to close." The waiter said with a sympathetic smile at 10:00 pm. History seemed to repeat itself. Gabriella was once again sitting all alone, waiting for someone who was not going to show up for sure.

With a single tear rolling down her cheek, she stood up, mumbled an apology to the waiter and left the restaurant. Yes she would have called him if it was not for the fact that she had left it at home when she was rushing to get here on time.

* * *

Nervously knocking on the apartment door, Troy took a deep intake of breath and waited for her to open the door.

"Hi, glad you could come." She opened the door and ushered him in.

"I keep my promises, so here I am. You wanted to talk?" he said. Maybe, if he got this over with early, he could still catch Gabriella at the restaurant.

"I met up with Ryan today." Sharpay said just above whisper.

"Yea? How did that go?" Troy chocked out since his throat seemed to be closing.

"I told him that I am letting go of him." She managed to say before breaking down into tears. Troy immediately rushed to her and gathered her in his arms.

"Shhh. Don't worry about it Pay. Letting go of him was a right this to do." He tried to comfort her while she sobbed in his arms, soaking up his whole shirt.

"I know." She croaked out and continued crying. The two of the just stood there, in the middle of the living room, for about half an hour, neither saying anything.

Finally, Sharpay had run out of tears and they settled down on the couch.

"I completed my end of the agreement, it's time for you to decide and do the same." She said with a strong voice.

* * *

Throwing the keys on the table, Troy sighed tiredly and rubbed his eyes. Walking towards the kitchen to get some milk, he noticed a faint light coming out of the living room. Curiously, Troy went and peeked in. There, wrapped in a blanket, sat Gabriella on the sofa. She just sat there doing nothing with her back to the door.

Frowning, Troy went inside and towards her. When he was close enough, he reached his hand out and went to touch her.

"Don't touch me." She hissed out in a cold voice. The tone was so sharp and sudden that Troy swore he felt as if it had sliced him a bit.

"Are you ok?" he asked, taken aback.

"Do you think I am stupid?" Gabriella said in the same tone full of venom. Turning around to glare at him, Troy gasped. Her face clearly showed that she was crying. Traces of tears were visible but that was not what got him into a shock. Her eyes were no longer that warm chocolate color. Instead, pure black replaced it and fire as well. Troy didn't think he had ever seen any eyes that black.

"How dumb do you really think I am?" she asked again with blazing eyes.

"You shouldn't have made me wait." She said, her voice cracking. "I always wait for you and I am tired of it." This made Troy angry. What did she know about waiting? He was waiting too! For fucking 20 years he had waited and still nothing!

"Nobody asked you to wait! You didn't have to." He told her with annoyance. This seemed to put Gabriella back into her furious mode and Troy took a step back.

"Nobody asked me to?! How about we made plans for dinner and you stood me up? Again shall I add? Who do you think I am? Your toy that you can use whenever you are bored and throw away as soon as a better version comes around? Or shall I say a blonder version?!" she screamed out. Troy was angry now. How dare she say that?

"No! You are actually nobody to me! Why should I care if I stood you up or not?" he matched her yelling. Instantly, he regretted what had left his mouth. The pain that had crossed Gabriella's face was enough to make him fall on his knees and beg for forgiveness. Beg her to let him take his words back, to forget them as if they had never come out. But it was too late.

"I know I am nobody to you. So from now on, you are nobody to me as well."

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A/N: LONG! Review please and tell us what you think! xoxo


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Hello our dear friends! Sorry for that last chapter…the post was SOOO late we KNOW but it was all FFN's fault! . you know why? It didn't let us post ANYTHING! So angry! Blame them not us.**

**Oh and just so you know, we are going to Thailand for the next week so there isn't going to be a new chapter on. SORRY! 3**

**Disclaimer: Nothing has changed and this still doesn't belong to either of us so…**

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Chapter 24

_Previously:_

"_Oh she is fine. You know," Troy shrugged as if it was nothing. "with pregnancy those sicknesses come quite often."_

_***_

"_I realized that it's stupid to ask someone for something that they cant give you. I have waited for too long and I am tired of it. I want to let go, so much." She whispered almost in tears. Ryan just sat there, stunned._

_***_

"_I completed my end of the agreement, it's time for you to decide and do the same." She said with a strong voice._

_***_

"_I know I am nobody to you. So from now on, you are nobody to me too."_

* * *

Troy yawned and stretched while walking down the stair into the kitchen. However, something stopped him in the middle of the doors.

No smell of food.

No food.

No lights on.

And most importantly, no Gabriella.

Where could she be? Troy wondered while walking back up the stairs. He figure she might still be sleeping.

"Lazy ass." He mumbled while opening her bedroom door. When he stepped in, he found that her bed had been untouched and she was not in there. Slowly starting to panic, he walked around the house and checked all the rooms. Gabriella was no where to be found.

Maybe she just went out to the convenience store to get supplies. With that thought, Troy settled down into the couch, deciding to wait for Gabriella and kill the time by watching TV.

* * *

It is so amazing how a place can be so quiet yet so loud at the same time, so deserted yet so busy, so sad yet so happy. That was all that the park represented for Gabriella.

She left the house early in the morning when it was clear that she couldn't sleep. Not with that particular person about 4 meters away from her room. So Gabriella got up and started walking until she got into the park and headed towards the swings to sit down.

The whole park was so quiet, yet if you listened more carefully, you could hear the birds chirping, the slight breeze that moved the trees and created a melody and the occasional sound coming from the lake nearby. In the afternoons, the place would get crowded by small children running around and playing on the swings and slides, but in the morning it was the best place for thinking. At least for Gabriella it was.

She sat there thinking about the past few months of her life. Time flew by so fast and Gabriella found herself thinking back about all the great memories.

The plane ride to England when she first met Troy:

"_Excuse me miss, but what do you think you are doing?" Gabriella froze at what she was doing and slowly looked up to the owner of the voice, only to be met by a pair of electrifying blue eyes._

Of course that was followed by that embarrassing moment:

_Gabriella couldn't do anything but stare. Her body was frozen and she could feel all the eyes in First class section on her. What was she supposed to do now? What do people usually say when they puke on other people? _

The time she run into him while he was half naked:

_Troy didn't understand why she was staring and looked down. With wide eyes he realized that the towel he had wrapped around his body was almost slipping down so he turned on his heels and sprinted back into his room._

The thought made her blush because she remembered the time she found out they lived in the same house and she, too, was only in a towel.

"_What do you mean by your house? This is __**my**__ house. I lived here since forever!" Gabriella asked, not noticing he was checking her out or that she was still wearing only a towel. _

Everything started there, the marriage right afterwards, the contract, the honeymoon where he taught her how to bike:

"_You are an idiot! How hard is it to keep balance?" Troy yelled at Gabriella for the hundredth time that day. They started with the basics but Gabriella couldn't get the hang of it and kept falling down. Troy wasn't the most patient person in the world and his patience was currently being tested and stretched to the furthest. His anger was bubbling and everything was threatening to explode._

Thinking back about every memory she had with Troy, tears slowly poured out of her eyes and her sobs interrupted the quiet atmosphere in the park.

* * *

Troy was very worried by now, where could she be? She was not in the house, the patio doors were still locked as he left it last night, nothing was out of the place except that his wife was missing! And no, before you ask, she was not picking up her phone.

He had waited so long already and she still hadn't come back home. Suddenly, a loud "boom" was heard outside, followed by heavy rain pouring right afterwards. It was raining hard and Gabriella was still there somewhere,

Staring at the rain for a while, Troy suddenly jumped up.

"Screw this." He mumbled and headed to the front doors while grabbing the keys on the table.

* * *

The moment it started raining, Gabriella got soaked immediately. It was as if she jumped into the swimming pool still fully clothed. But she didn't care, what was the point of seeking a shelter now that she was already wet? She still sat there thinking about everything, her life, her husband and how she could let this go so far.

You thought the rain couldn't get any heavier, but it did. It was literally raining cats and dogs now but Gabriella still didn't move from her spot. However, soon something snapped in her and she took out her phone. Better use it before the water completely damages the battery. Oh well, she wanted a new phone anyway.

Dialing a very familiar number, she put the phone to her ear and waited till someone picked it up.

"_Hello?"_ a cheerful voice came out from the other side. Gabriella didn't answer for a while but started sobbing. The rain had another advantage, you couldn't see her tears at all.

"Ryan?" she croaked out quietly.

"_Gabi? Are you ok? What's happening?"_ his voice became very worried.

"Can you please come and pick me up at the park near my house?" she ignored his questions.

"_Give me 10 minutes."_ Ryan said immediately and hung up. With that, Gabriella snapped her phone shut and put it back into her pocket. Hanging her head down, she cried more and waited.

* * *

Stepping into the apartment, Ryan immediately took Gabriella to the couch. Letting her sit down, he run off to the bathroom and came back with a towel.

"Here, you have to dry yourself before you catch a cold." He said with a gentle voice. Gabriella took it wordlessly and started with her hair.

"I will get you some hot tea ok?" Ryan informed her and went into the kitchen to start the water. However, when he came back, Gabriella was lying on the couch asleep. Putting the tray on the coffee table, he sat down on the floor right next to the couch.

Quietly observing her, Ryan came to the conclusion that he never saw anyone or anything more beautiful and graceful. Suddenly, a single tear slipped down Gabriella's cheek and he carefully wiped it away with his thumb.

"This is a real dilemma." Ryan sighed and watched her. "What do you want me to do?" he asked her gently. While he sat there, so many thoughts crossed his head. Troy wasn't treating Gabriella well. He only hurt her and played with her heart. Ryan couldn't bear that. He couldn't let Troy cause this delicate woman so much pain. Taking his phone out, Ryan pressed speed dial number 2 and waited. He didn't wait too long though, the phone didn't ring even once.

"_Gabriella?" _came out Troy's frantic voice. Ryan could see he was super worried about her.

"No, this is Ryan." He said.

"_Oh."_ Troy answered disappointedly.

"I figured you must be very worried so I am calling you to tell you that Gabriella is here with me." Ryan informed him.

"_What?"_ Troy exclaimed in shock.

"Yea, we are at my apartment right now."

"_Let me speak to her."_ Troy managed to choke out. He felt as though his throat was closing down. She was with Ryan now?

"No can do." Ryan said lightly. "She is sleeping right now."

"_How did she end up in your apartment?"_ Troy asked, a bit angry when the initial shock wore off.

"That's not important. What is important though, is that I decided to pursue her heart and take her away from you Bolton. So you better watch out." Ryan said and hung up before Troy had any chance to say something. He wouldn't anyway, seeing as he was frozen in shock from that new information.

* * *

It was dark outside when Gabriella finally opened her eyes. She was greeted by the delicious smell of food all around her. At first, she was confused as to where she was but then all the events came rushing back to her mind and Gabriella felt like crying again.

"Ah, I see you are up. Good, because I made dinner and it's the best if you eat it now, while it is still hot." Ryan came into the room smiling.

"Thanks for picking me up." Gabriella smiled gratefully and sat up.

"No big deal. Now come on, the food is waiting." Ryan said and turned around. However, he was startled by the banging on the door. Looking back at Gabriella who shrugged her shoulders, he went and opened the door. However, as soon as he opened the lock, the door opened and Troy stormed in.

"Come on Gabriella, let's go home." He ordered without saying hi to either of them. Ryan stood there in shock and Gabriella was frozen on the sofa.

"I said let's go." Troy hissed out and went to pull her up. Completely ignoring Ryan, he dragged Gabriella out of the door and she could barely say a proper bye to her host.

The drive home was quiet. Troy was still fuming and Gabriella just sat there staring at her hands. When they finally pulled up, Troy hopped out of the car and went to open her door. When she didn't move at all, he took her hand again and wordlessly dragged her into the house and up to her room.

"I cant believe you slept in another man's apartment and he is single too! What would people think if they knew about this?" Troy started scolding her when she sat down on the bed. When she didn't answer, Troy opened his mouth to yell at her some more but noticed that she was pale white.

"Gabriella? Brie? Are you ok?" he asked with a quiet voice and came closer to her.

"No I don't think I am ok. I don't feel good." She mumbled out. Troy went to her and reached to her forehead.

"You are burning up!" he exclaimed. Gabriella just nodded and sat there.

"Now, I am going to go down to get you some medicine and stuff like that and you are going to change from these clothes ok?" he said quickly and waited till she nodded as a confirmation. Running down the stairs, Troy almost tripped over but he made it into the kitchen in a record time.

Opening the medicine drawer, he took everything out. There was no time for choosing. Running back up, he practically flew over the hallway and into Gabriella's room.

With a relieved sigh, he noted that she had changed into sweatpants and a tank top and was currently lying on her bed.

"Here, take this pill and this one too." Troy gave her the medicine and a glass of water. Going into the en-suite bathroom, he took a small towel and rinsed it in the cold water. Coming back out, he put it on top of Gabriella's head to cool down her fever.

After about 10 minutes, Troy realized that Gabriella fell asleep again and he went to change the towel for her. When he replaced it, he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear gently and smiled.

"I am sorry. I was wrong. Get better." He mumbled and sat down next to her bed.

* * *

Her head felt as though there was a hammer hitting it every other second. It hurt so much she just wanted to chop it off. It felt so heavy and big and that was when she was lying down, she didn't even want to imagine how it would feel when she stood up.

Opening her eyes slowly, Gabriella blinked few times to adjust to the light. She remembered all that happened. She slept at Ryan's house in the morning, in the evening, Troy came banging on the door and dragged her home where she fell asleep again. Gabriella couldn't believe she had slept for whole 24 hours or something close to that.

Looking to the right, her eyes softened at the sight. Troy was sitting on the floor leaning his head on her bed, asleep. He must have been by her side the whole night, tending to her. Gabriella felt touched but then she remembered why she even got sick in the first place and her anger came back. Lying back down, she decided to sleep until Troy had left for work, which wouldn't be that long anyway. She just didn't want to see his face at the moment. Or talk to him.

True to her assumption, after about half an hour, she felt Troy stir and wake. She closed her eyes and almost stopped breathing. She didn't want him to know that she was awake. Gabriella felt Troy's hand on her forehead, touching her ever so gently and then the weight from the bed lifted. Gabriella waited till she heard her bedroom door open and close and she opened her eyes. Listening even more carefully, she could hear Troy doing his morning routine and then the front door slam shut.

Gabriella walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. She didn't eat anything for about two days already and Troy had dragged her out just before she could taste what Ryan had cooked. Frowning, she saw a pot standing on the cooker. When she opened the lid, she found out it was a chicken soup, the chicken soup.

Suddenly, the door bell rang. Gabriella stepped to the front door and curiously opened to see who came this early in the morning. There, in all their glory, stood Lucille and Elizabeth Bolton.

"Gabriella, honey! How are you?" Elizabeth exclaimed and squeezed her into a tight hug. Lucille just stood there and nodded at her daughter in law.

"Elizabeth! Lucille!" Gabriella yelped out with a big smile. "What brings you here?" she ushered them in and sat them down at the kitchen table.

"Well, we haven't seen you in such a long time so we thought the three of us could go for lunch? Sushi maybe?" Lucille said and accepted her cup of coffee.

"Uhm, that sounds great but unfortunately, I am not feeling too well." Gabriella said and smiled apologetically.

"What's wrong with you? Morning sicknesses?" Elizabeth asked hopefully, were her great grandchildren on their way?

"No, nothing like that." Gabriella shook her head immediately with wide eyes. "I have a slight fever and a cough, that's all." Elizabeth's face fell and Lucille just patted her hand sympathetically.

"Well we still have to get you to the doctor!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "Cough and fever are the first signs of swine flu! You never know, come on let's go." Before Gabriella could object or process what just happened, the three women were already sitting in a limo, heading towards the LA Hospital.

"But I don't have swine flu!" Gabriella whined out, however, it was too late, they were already sitting in the waiting room. For an old woman, Elizabeth sure had a lot of strength. She literally dragged Gabriella all over the hospital wing in order to find the family doctor.

"Doctor Milberg is ready to see you Ms. Bolton." The nurse came out.

"Mrs. Bolton." Elizabeth growled out and Lucille just glared at the nurse. The check up was brief, the doctor found nothing wrong, it was just a normal cold as Gabriella said. However before leaving, Elizabeth turned around to face the doctor again.

"Mark, can you prescribe Gabriella here some fertility-enhancing drugs as well?" she asked with a smile and Gabriella's eyes widened.

"Why? Are you having problems with getting pregnant Gabriella?" Doctor Milberg asked curiously and she just blushed.

"Uh, n-no…" she started to mumble out but Elizabeth cut in.

"Yes she is now prescribe the pills would you?" she said impatiently. Without another word, the doctor handed the prescription over and the Bolton women left.

**

* * *

**

From: Pay

**To: Troy boy**

**Date: 13/9/2009 15:45**

**Hi Troy! I was thinking, do you want to go to a concert with me tonight and maybe out for dinner? Pay xoxo**

Troy flipped his phone open and read the message. Sighing, he scrolled down to reply while walking toward the front door of his house.

**From: Troy**

**To: Pay**

**Date: 13/9/2009 15:46**

**Hi Pay, I am sorry but I can't. Brie is sick today and I have to take care of her. Next time though ok? Troy x**

Walking into the kitchen, he saw the pot of soup he made earlier in the day. Peeking in, he noted that it was still full and untouched. This angered him and he stormed upstairs and didn't stop until he came to Gabriella's room.

"Why didn't you eat the soup? Don't you know that sick people have to eat a lot in order to get better?" he exclaimed furiously. Gabriella just blinked twice and stared at him.

"Even chickens seek shelter during the rain. You must be the stupidest chicken of all times!" he continued while fuming. That made Gabriella angry and she jumped out of the bed.

"You know what? Fuck off! Why do you care that I am so stupid huh? I'd rather die than eat your soup! It's disgusting anyway!" she said with the same amount of anger and Troy immediately felt guilty.

"Look, I am sorry ok? Just get back in bed." He said gently but Gabriella shook her head stubbornly.

"Come on! Please Brie, you will get worse." Troy said with a pout.

"Sing my song for me first!" she demanded with a smirk.

"What?" Troy said and opened his mouth again to object, but then he thought better and cleared his throat.

After singing the Teapot song twice, Gabriella went back to bed and even ate Troy's soup. It didn't taste as bad as she thought it would but she would never admit that out loud.

The next day, Gabriella was feeling much better and was even able to prepare breakfast for the two of them. The meal was quiet but Troy decided to interrupt it.

"I am sorry for all the things I did to you." He suddenly started out of nowhere, staring at his eggs. "I promise that I will call you whenever I am late again. You see, I am not used to having someone wait for me at home, someone that expects a little phone call if I am late." He continued and Gabriella just sat there staring at him, speechless.

"I am also sorry for what I said last time. You are not just nobody to me and I hope you know that." He finished off with a whisper.

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A/N: That's it folks, we are off to Thailand! Hope you enjoyed it and review! xoxo


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: We are back!!!! Are you guys happy? LOL we are too! Thailand was amazing but it's good to be back on FFN! The good news continues though! This week we got holidays cause of some kid getting H1N1 in the school. Following the protocol, the school has to close for a week! WHOO! We have hw through emails but dude, we can write more!!! YAY!**

**Thanks for the reviews! BUT some of u complained that the story is dragging looong and Troyella is taking WAY too long! Sorry!!! But the drama merely started…really….**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: We still own zilch.**

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Chapter 25

_Previously:_

"_That's not important. What is important though, is that I decided to pursue her heart and take her away from you Bolton. So you better watch out."_

_***_

"_I am also sorry for what I said last time. You are not just nobody to me and I hope you know that." He finished off with a whisper._

"You what?!?" Gabriella yelled out with wide eyes, staring at her best friend with disbelief.

"I am sorry okay? It's somehow just slipped, I didn't mean to tell him the truth." Taylor said in a small voice.

"I can't believe you could let that happen!" Gabriella continued to yell. Taylor looked down guiltily with a small pout.

"I can't believe you were so careless! Really Taylor, really?" it was the worst news someone could give Gabriella this early in the morning. Not only was she still feeling weak and her head hurt, now her best friend just added stress onto the pile as well.

"I am really sorry Gabi, I didn't mean to tell Ryan everything. It was just that the ride here was so awkward that I wanted to say something so I started babbling. You know me when I babble, I don't even know what I am talking about!" Taylor tried to defend herself, even though it was a lost case. She spilled the secret to a stranger, period. Nothing more, nothing less.

"You could have babbled about something else! I don't know, for example about the time you were in high school and you went into the guys' changing room instead of the girls' but didn't notice until you ran into the football captain who was all naked. Not about my fake marriage!" Gabriella scolded Taylor who immediately blushed at the memory she was trying so hard to forget.

"Hey! That was one time and it was not my fault ok? I had a lot in my mind and I was mad about the fact that Jenny was voted the captain of the scholastic decathlon team and not me!" Taylor cried out.

"Whatever." Gabriella waved her hand and pulled out her cell phone. Time for some damage check. Opening a new window, she began to text.

**To: Ryan :)**

**From: Gabriella Montez**

**Date: 22 September 2009 10:30**

**Hey Ryan! It's me, Gabriella. I was wondering, how about a lunch today at 1? I didn't get to thank you properly for taking care of me the other day yet. What do you say?**

Pressing 'Send' she slid her phone shut a looked at Taylor.

"I am not going to stay angry at you forever, but right now, I am really using all my will-power to not run to you and strangle you, so I think you should go." She said in a normal voice.

"Yea, call me when you feel like meeting up okay?" Taylor said and after receiving a nod, she stood up and left the house. Right after the door slammed shut, Gabriella's phone indicated a new message. Sliding it open, she read Ryan's answer in which he agreed and told her that he would pick her up at 12:30. Glancing at the clock, Gabriella noted that she had about 2 hours. Just enough time to clean up and change.

New mission: Find out how much Ryan knows and see if he is any threat to the contract.

* * *

"You were right, this is the best spaghetti in the whole town." Ryan exclaimed with a full mouth and Gabriella giggled.

"See I told you! Finally I got to treat you to it. You always paid for me so I was starting to feel bad about using you. If there was one more meal that you would pay, I would seriously start considering not eating with you." Gabriella said and Ryan laughed out loud.

"Then I am glad that I listened to you today and drove here." Ryan nodded and finished his plate. After a small talk, the two of them argued a bit about who would pay but Gabriella won. They decided to take a small walk in the park nearby.

"It's so peaceful here don't you think?" Gabriella breathed out and closed her eyes for a while. When Ryan didn't say anything, Gabriella opened her eyes and looked at him. However, he was nowhere to be seen.

"Ryan?" she looked around for him. Suddenly a single rose appeared right in front of her and Gabriella turned around to come face to face with a smiling Ryan.

"Sorry, I just went there to get this for you." He apologized and gave her the flower. Gabriella nodded and silently accepted the gift her face showing surprise and shock. The two of them started walking wordlessly through the park again.

"You know, this is the first time someone had ever given me flowers." Gabriella said after a while, still staring at the flower. Ryan nodded and they fell into silence once again.

"I know." Ryan suddenly said, breaking the silence.

"Huh?" Gabriella blinked in confusion.

"I know that Troy didn't marry you for love." He elaborated and Gabriella stopped breathing for a while.

"Ryan…I-I…" she started but he cut her off.

"I hate thinking about the "if's" and the "what if's" you know? But lately, it's all I have been thinking about: 'If I had the chance first…', 'if you had met me first…', 'if you didn't marry Troy…'" he continued and the two stopped walking, just simply facing each other. Even though Gabriella didn't have the courage to look into Ryan's eyes, instead, she stared at the rose.

"P-please…" she whispered but was once again not heard and cut off.

"If two people's marriage isn't real, then it's not yet too late for me, right?" Ryan asked, but Gabriella knew that he didn't want an answer.

"Will you give me a chance?"

* * *

Troy opened the front doors and was greeted by the delicious smell of home made quesadillas. Smiling to himself, he went straight into the kitchen.

"I am home!" he exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Yea, sure, whatever." Gabriella answered abstinently and Troy's smile faded a bit.

"Well, I am going to change now. Is the dinner ready yet?" he asked, determined to get her attention.

"5 minutes." Was all he got, so Troy turned on his heels and headed up into his room. When he came down, everything was set up already and Gabriella was sitting in her chair, waiting for him.

Before Troy could bite into the delicious food, a single rose in the small crystal vase caught his attention.

"What is that?" Troy asked while pointing at the flower.

"It's a rose." Gabriella answered simply while chewing and trying to somehow cut the cheese.

"I know that." Troy rolled his eyes and too, bit into his dinner.

"Then why were you asking about what it was?" Gabriella looked at him as if he was crazy.

"What I meant was, where did it come from?" Troy asked again.

"Ryan gave it to me." was Gabriella's answer that made Troy choke on his melted cheese. When his coughing subsided, he looked at Gabriella with shock.

"Why would he give you flowers?" he asked, his voice harsher than he intended to be.

"Last time I checked it was one flower and why wouldn't he?" Gabriella said, her tone matching Troy's equally.

"You don't give married woman flowers for no reason." Troy started an inevitable argument.

"Why not? Is there a rule against it? Is it illegal?" Gabriella asked, dinner long forgotten, no matter how good it was.

"No, but you don't give women a red rose unless it means something!" Troy said angrily.

"What does it matter to you if it means something? Our marriage is fake anyway!" Gabriella exclaimed, she, too, was getting angry.

"What does it matter to me? It doesn't! But I am still you husband, fake or not! And I am saying that I don't like it if another man gives my wife a red rose!" Troy yelled out and slammed his fist on the table.

"There are only few months left in our contract anyway so who the fuck cares?!" Gabriella screeched out.

"I do!" Troy matched her volume. Suddenly the room fell silent and a staring contest began. Gabriella closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. When she opened her eyes again, she found Troy still staring at her, his normally electrifying blue eyes dark with anger like the sky covered with dark clouds just before a big storm.

"Now that our marriage is coming to an end, you can go and meet up with Sharpay all you want and I will do whatever I feel like doing with my life. Each of us will go our own way okay?" she said with a normal voice, even though it took all her strength not to burst out crying at the thought of the end.

* * *

"Where is it? Where the hell is it?" Troy mumbled while going through the piles of paper works on his table in his home office.

"Where the hell did I put it?" he continued muttering and moved on to the drawers of the big wooden table. Since the argument yesterday, Troy couldn't fall asleep at night. He lay there the whole time, staring at the ceiling and thinking about the contract. The next day right after breakfast that was very quiet, he decided to look for it. However, an obstacle rose after about five minutes of searching: Troy had no idea where he had put the contract. That's why he was now, 2 hours since he started looking for it, turning his office upside down, looking for the single sheet of paper.

The search soon spread from the office to the whole house and while Gabriella made an effort to clean everything up, Troy was only making a bigger mess. Still, the contract was nowhere to be seen.

"What are you doing?" Gabriella asked curiously after she noticed that Troy was actually going all around the house with a big frown and mumbling something.

"I am looking for something." Was all she got so Gabriella just shrugged her shoulders and decided that after she finished rearranging the small bookshelf in the living room, it was time to start preparing lunch.

"You having lunch at home today?" Gabriella called out.

"Yea." Troy yelled back from somewhere deep inside the house.

* * *

"I can't find the contract." Troy said when they were sitting in the kitchen after lunch.

"What do you mean by you can't find it?" Gabriella exclaimed with wide eyes.

"As in I don't know where it is and I tried looking for it everywhere, no such luck." Troy said.

"Well, have you tried your office?" Gabriella asked and Troy's eyes widened.

"Nooooo, that thought had never occurred to me." he said sarcastically and Gabriella put her hands up.

"I was just trying to help." She defended herself.

"Well, your help is not very good." Troy said and Gabriella just poked her tongue out at him.

"Whatever." Troy rolled his eyes.

"Let's make a new contract." Troy suddenly suggested.

"What? Why?" Gabriella asked in shock.

"Well, the old one is lost and all the terms were on it. Since we still have few months left, I think we have to establish the terms, maybe change some around so everything is nice and clear so there are no arguments at the end." Troy tried reasoning with her, a plan slowly forming in his head.

Gabriella sighed and mentally weighted the pros and cons, carefully thinking about the suggestion.

"Fine, let's do this." She nodded and Troy did everything he could, to prevent himself from jumping out in joy and dancing around excitedly.

"Good choice." He nodded, instead. So the two of them moved over to the living room and Gabriella brought her laptop to the couch and they started putting a new contract together.

"Don't use that font, it's stupid and childish." Troy shook his head and Gabriella just pouted.

After an hour, the main body was written and all the main terms were included.

"Troy Bolton is forbidden to call Gabriella Montez/Bolton a machine to make food, chicken, vacuum cleaner or a bird." Gabriella read out loud while typing the term down.

"What? But…" Troy started but Gabriella glared at him. "Fine." He pouted and looked down.

"The period of marriage, what should I write down? How many months did we have left?" Gabriella asked while frowning, what did the last contract say?

"Write down three years." Troy said with a smirk. It was time to get to the main part of his plan.

"What? Hell no! Three fucking years?" Gabriella yelled out and furiously shook her head. There was no way she was being stuck with this guy for another three years.

"Why not? It's just three years." Troy said in a normal tone, even though he was holding his breath.

"Why not? Are you crazy? No way in hell I am going to be married to you for another three years. I mean, there is no way the old contract said another three years! Three months maybe!" Gabriella said.

"Think about it carefully Gabriella? What about Grandmother? What about my father and my mother? Think about them. Do you know how disappointed they will be if we divorced this early? Do you know how heart broken will grandma be?" Troy asked carefully. Oh yea, he just played the family card.

Gabriella closed her eyes. How could Troy do that? She couldn't believe Troy just went there. He knew she loved the Boltons to death! He used the guilt trip on her! If they divorced, it would mean that she would never be able to meet the Boltons again. No more Elizabeth, no more Lucille and no more poker. She would miss them so much, Gabriella knew that. They were the closest thing she had to a family and she didn't know if she would be able to be without them. Also, what is three years right? It's not that long and it would mean she would have money without working, still be able to see the Boltons and she would still be close to…

No, Gabriella shook her head. She couldn't let her thoughts go that way. Opening her eyes, she found Troy staring at her and studying her reaction. He was obviously still waiting for her answer.

"I have few more conditions." She said and Troy smiled. He knew she just agreed to his proposal.

"Whatever you want."

* * *

"Don't forget to buy me flowers!" Gabriella called out after him as Troy went to his car.

"How could I." Troy called back at her before speeding off. It was the Clause 105 of their new contract: Troy was to buy Gabriella flowers every Wednesday and it was Wednesday today. The new contract was way better in Gabriella's opinion. It definitely had more benefits for Gabriella than the old one:

-Troy was to settle for toast for breakfast everyday.

-Troy was to wash the dishes every other day.

-Troy and Gabriella were to share the house chores equally between each other.

Gabriella looked at the contract once again. The only problem was those three damn year. But she still smiled at the conditions and terms.

"Awe, life's good." She smiled and turned on the TV.

* * *

Sharpay was humming while walking out of the elevators of the office. Walking as if she was on the catwalk, she proceeded further down the hallway, occasionally nodding at the employees and people around her.

She went to turn right when sudden whisper made her stop dead in the tracks. A voice was coming out of the room to her right. The door was opened a bit and normally, Sharpay wouldn't think anything of it and just carry on with her own thing but when she heard 'Troy' and 'Gabriella' being harshly whispered, she couldn't help but curiously peek in and eavesdrop. Peeking inside, Sharpay didn't see anything but a mass of brown curls standing in the middle of the room, talking into the phone.

"I can't believe you could let something like that slip Tay! It's no wonder Gabriella is mad at you now." Chad said into the phone, not noticing he had an audience.

"I know how you are when things are awkward but that's not an excuse honey." He said and listened to what his wife had to say.

"Yes, I know you didn't mean to." He nodded even thought she couldn't see.

"But it was a big secret Tay! It's not something you go around and tell strangers." Chad said carefully as if even a small slip would make her explode.

"No, I am not saying anything like that! Don't be ridiculous, but what if Troy finds out that you told his secret to Mr. Evans?" Chad asked while Sharpay's curiosity just increased. Secret? Troy? Ryan? What secret did Troy have? As far as she knew, there was nothing that Troy wouldn't want Ryan to know.

"I don't know if he is going to fire me! But I would be mad as well I someone spilled my secret to a stranger." Chad continued his discussion with his wife.

"That's stupid idea Tay! I can't just walk to him and say 'Hi, Mr. Bolton! You see, my wife told Mr. Evans about you fake marriage with my best friend. But there is nothing to worry about, Gabriella talked to him and it seems like he wont say anything!' That's fucking stupid Taylor." Chad exclaimed and Sharpay gasped. Fake marriage? Troy and Gabriella were in a fake marriage? Sharpay slowly backed away from the door as if it was about to jump at her and attack her. When she was far enough for her liking, she turned on her Jimmy Choo heels and headed back to the elevators. There was only one person she wanted to see right now.

* * *

Gabriella's day was getting more and more interesting and crazy by the minute. First it's the contract and her 3 year longer marriage and now Sharpay Henney was sitting in her living room, asking for a cup of tea and for a 'chat' as she put it herself.

After she handed Sharpay a cup of strawberry tea, the two woman sat down in the living room sofa and Gabriella waited patiently for Sharpay to start.

"I know we haven't started off that nicely with each other but I want to change that." Sharpay suddenly said and Gabriella did everything she could not to start choking on her tea or burn her tongue in the hot water.

"Oh." Was all she managed to say in the shock.

"So let's start from the beginning." Sharpay said with a smile.

"O-okay." Gabriella said slowly.

"Where did you two meet? I mean, I clearly never saw you before so it must have been somewhere else right?" Sharpay asked

"Uhm, we met on a plane to England." Gabriella answered. It was true after all, wasn't it?

"Exciting! But why did you guys marry so suddenly? One day me and him are still sitting together, drinking coffee and the next, he is getting married!" Sharpay asked, her true purpose slowly floating to the surface, even though Gabriella didn't notice.

"Uhm…I-I…w-we…" Gabriella didn't know how to start but Sharpay cut her off with a serious tone.

"You know it's very hard for me not to have Troy by my side." She said a bit quieter than before and Gabriella frowned. What the…

"It's unfair to always want Troy by your side when you are in love with another man Sharpay. That's selfish you know?" she said and Sharpay nodded.

"I know." Sharpay said. "Which is why, from now on, I will only have eyes for Troy." At this, Gabriella's cup slipped from her hands and the glass shattered on the ground, the liquid inside spilling out all over the wooden floor. However, neither of the women noticed and continued staring at each other. Gabriella with horror and shock and Sharpay with pleading eyes.

"Please help me get Troy back." She almost begged. Gabriella couldn't believe this. Still speechless she kept staring at the woman in front of her. Sharpay had the guts to ask someone's wife to help her get their husband! That was ridiculous but Gabriella couldn't bring herself to see the ridiculous side. Instead, she saw her world crashing down and felt her heart being shattered into millions of pieces same as the cup she just dropped.

"Troy loves you very much you know that? That's why he married me in the first place." Gabriella heard herself say. What did she just do? It was like her body did whatever it wanted to do and her mind didn't have any say in it. Why did she just say that? She didn't know what was happening but she noticed that she was now kneeling on the ground amongst the tea water, picking up the small pieces of glass.

**

* * *

**

From: Pay

**To: Troy boy**

**Date: 23 September 2009 18:40**

**Meet me at 8 at Solace? Pay xoxo**

Troy looked at the message and smiled.

**From: Troy**

**To: Pay**

**Date: 23 September 2009 18:41**

**Sure, c u there. Troy x.**

Flipping his phone shut, Troy walked towards Harry's office. They were to discuss few things before Harry had to leave home to his wife and two daughters. Solace, that was Sharpay's favorite bar. They always went there when Sharpay felt like getting drunk or just talking to Troy in private, without fans running to him every 5 minutes, asking for a signature. Suddenly Troy remembered something and took his phone out again.

"_Hello?"_ came out from the other end, as soon as Troy finished dialing and pressed call.

"Brie, it's me Troy." He said.

"_Hey. What's up?"_ she asked, someone was in a good mood, Troy thought.

"I just wanted to call you to tell you that I wont be home for dinner and I will come late today, so don't wait up for me ok?" Troy said.

"_Oh. Where are you going?"_ Gabriella asked her tone not so cheerful anymore.

"I am going to meet Sharpay for a while. But I wont be that late, really." Troy said while closing his eyes. How would Gabriella's reaction be? That, he didn't know.

"_Oh."_ Gabriella said quietly.

"Well, then see you." Troy said and hung up, while stepping inside Harry's office. If he had waited for Gabriella to respond he wouldn't gone into the office. If he had waited for Gabriella to respond he would have heard something that would change his plans for the night entirely. On the other end of the line, Gabriella stood in the middle of the room, still holding the phone to her ear.

"Don't meet Sharpay, just go home… Please just go home…" she whispered.

* * *

After few drinks were consumed, Sharpay and Troy sat at the bar and talked animatedly. Both were having a great time while remembering their childhood memories.

"I still don't think it was nice of you to pull Amy's hair when she said that my hair looked like worms." Sharpay said while laughing and Troy soon joined her when he remembered what he did to the poor small Amy.

"I couldn't help it! She was making fun of you and it was job to protect you all the time from whatever." Troy exclaimed and laughed some more.

"I can't believe I haven't realized it sooner, but you were always by my side." Sharpay suddenly said, no traces of laughter anymore, but a small warm smile replaced it instead. Troy quieted down as well, not knowing what to say, he played with his glass of alcohol.

"Thank you for being patient with me Troy, I want to go to you now. Will you take me in?" she asked in whisper. Another glass shattering to million pieces could be heard.

* * *

When Troy came home that night, he found Gabriella sitting on the couch, waiting for him. When he came in, neither of them said anything, but both of them knew that the other knew what happened.

Wordlessly, Troy went into the kitchen and took out few bottles of beer. Handing one to Gabriella who gladly accepted it, he took a sip out of his own bottle.

"You know I met up with Ryan yesterday." Gabriella started and broke the silence between them.

"What did you guys do?" Troy asked simply.

"We walked. We talked. He told me he knew, and he thought about the if's. He asked me if it's too late for him." Gabriella informed him in a quiet tone. Usually Troy would have jumped up and started yelling and freaking out about it but today, he just sat there, slowly drinking his beer.

"Is it okay if I like him?"

**

* * *

**

A/N: CLIFFHANGER!!!! Lol…this chapter if freaking long! You guys better review A LOT! What did you think? The next chapter up SOON! PROMISE! 3


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Here we are again! Pretty fast eh?? xD sorry guys! We know it took ages but the laptop broke and it took so long to repair! thanks for the reviews guys but really…12? Really? We know you can do WAY better than that!**

**Now…some of you complained, again, about how the story is dragging and how it is Troyella not Troypay or Ryella… well it IS Troyella. We HATE any other pairings k? :P just understand that this is how the story is planned out and you cant rush it. If we try, the story will collapse and suck…now do you want that?**

**Didn't think so…**

**Disclaimer: This is getting REALLY tiring…do we have to do this ALL the time? We don't own Disney okay? Cause if we did, we wouldn't write this story, instead we would bathe in dollars :D**

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* * *

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Chapter 26

_Previously:_

"_Will you give me a chance?"_

_***_

"_Why not? Are you crazy? No way in hell I am going to be married to you for another three years…"_

_***_

"_Troy loves you very much you know that? That's why he married me in the first place."_

_***_

"_Thank you for being patient with me Troy, I want to go to you now. Will you take me in?" she asked in whisper._

_***_

"_Is it okay if I like him?" _

* * *

24 hours can mean a lot. In 24 hours you are one day older, one day closer to death. In 24 hours your whole life can change. It may take a good turn or it may take a bad turn. In 24 hours your whole world can be shattered into pieces or it can be rebuilt and you will feel like you are reborn. In Gabriella's case, in 24 hours her life was shattered and it took a completely new turn. So many things have happened and she doubted the storm will stop anytime soon. Call it intuition or lucky guess but Gabriella knew, her life was going to include more drama and more pain.

Pain, that was what was running through Gabriella's mind while she was sitting in Ryan's living room. Pain was all that was on her mind. It was on her mind and in her body. How could something hurt her so much but could not be seen outside or treated by the doctors? Well, you could say a psychologist might be able to, but we are talking about surgeons or diagnosticians, etc. They couldn't heal this pain. It didn't show any signs of subsidizing or stopping as Gabriella sat there and recalled the previous events that took place just mere few hours ago.

After she had asked Troy for permission to like Ryan, his answer was very unexpected and even just thinking about it made Gabriella wince as her heart was being torn apart.

"It is not your heart that I have under contract. Your feelings are your own." Was what he had said to her.

"But he is wrong." Gabriella told Ryan as he offered to listen to her and help her get over the suffering, if that was even possible. "My heart is mine but he has it now. However, I don't have his." She whispered the last part as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Three hours had passed and pain slowly turned into anger. How could he let her go so easily? How could he just agree to her liking Ryan? Just like that, with the snap of his fingers? He was the one that suggested they would be married for another ten years, no? Why would he do that if he let her go to another man without a second thought? What a heartless and mean jerk!

Gabriella decided not to mourn or suffer anymore, instead, she would show Troy what he was missing. Who does he think he is anyway? Some great actor who rules the world? She didn't think so. She was not going to be yet another crazed fan or toy that he could use whenever he felt like so!

* * *

Women! How could anyone understand them? They should have come with a manual or an instruction sheet about how to use them, behave around them and understand them. They were so confusing! At least that's what Troy thought. I mean, he did agree on her requests yet she was so cold towards him.

When Gabriella got home. Troy greeted her but all he got was a small nod. Barely a proper acknowledgement! When he asked her to do the laundry, she pretended she didn't hear him say anything. When he told her to go and see if there is any mail in the post box, she went upstairs instead and started blasting music on so loud, Troy would swear the other end of LA could hear them.

Troy was getting hungry. However, Gabriella's cold shoulder continued and Troy had no chance of asking her how was her day so far, let alone what was for lunch.

"Gabriella? Brie? Are you ok?" Troy decided to ask carefully when lunch time came closer and there was still no sign of food.

"Oh I am great! Never been better! Why do you care?" Gabriella glared at him and answered sarcastically. Troy was taken aback by her behavior but still couldn't understand where it all came from. Why was she suddenly so unhappy?

"Do you want me to increase your salary?" Troy asked slyly. Maybe that was it? But Gabriella didn't answer, instead she laughed out loud and shook her head disbelievingly. Well, guess that was not the solution.

"Oh I got it!" Troy exclaimed and Gabriella turned to him in surprise.

"You did?" she asked carefully.

"You are tired today aren't you? There is still some leftover virus from before! Well don't worry about it, I will cook lunch today!" Troy exclaimed triumphantly and Gabriella just banged her head against the closest wall. Men…

Still babbling, Troy went into the kitchen and started pulling out all the necessities. He didn't really know how to cook, but it couldn't be that hard right? Seriously, if people like Ryan could do it, why not him? Besides, he did star in one of the movies as a young and successful chef!

Taking out carrots and potatoes, Troy decided to start with a soup. Now, all he had to do was cut them up into eatable pieces and dump them in a boiling water. Easy as a pie!

While cutting, an idea came into Troy's mind. Smirking evilly, he took a napkin and some ketchup. Setting it all up, he ran into the living room, screaming.

"Aaaarrrgh!!!!! My finger! My finger! Gabriella help me!!!!" Gabriella jumped up and run over to him, her eyes widening at what she saw.

"Oh my god, Troy! What did you do?" she screamed out, totally freaking out. Not only was she looking at the most disgusting thing in the world, but she was looking at it up close!

"I don't know! My finger…I was cutting…and then…aaarrrghhh it hurts!" he started hyperventilating and his face scrunched up in pain. He wasn't called an international mega star for nothing right? Those acting classes really paid off.

"How can you be so clumsy! We have to get you to the hospital fast!" Gabriella said, trying not to freak out too much.

"But my finger…it's not here…I don't know! Do something!" Troy said and tears started to appear in his eyes. Big men don't cry, but if you are missing a finger, it is a valid excuse to show some emotions.

"Ok, ok, ok…" Gabriella breathed in and out and immediately ran into the kitchen. There she came to the counter and started frantically looking for Troy's part.

"Hurry up! What is taking you so long! There is only a certain amount of blood I can lose you know!" Troy yelled out from the living room.

"I know I know! I am trying here! But where is it?" Gabriella yelled back. Fuck! There were vegetables everywhere! Why did he have to be so messy while cutting them all up?

"Ah!" Gabriella exclaimed… no, that was just a potato.

"What the heck Gabriella! It hurts you know!" Troy came into the kitchen while gripping his hand tightly.

"I know! But I cant find it!" she told him, completely freaking out by now. Opening the top of the pot, she looked inside the boiling water. Nope! Not here!

"Damn it woman! How hard is it to find a finger?" Troy scolded her and Gabriella glared at him.

"Well, what do you want me to do huh? Where is it?" Gabriella said.

"Try looking over there." Troy momentarily forgot to hold his "injured" hand and pointed to the corner. The napkin fell down and Gabriella's eyes widened once again.

"You!" she exclaimed.

"Oops?" Troy smiled nervously.

"Show me your hand!" she said calmly, although you could see the anger slowly boiling. Troy slowly and hesitantly stretched his hand towards her and she took it. Examining it for a while, suddenly Gabriella bit it hard.

"Arrrgh! What the hell woman?! Are you fucking crazy?" Troy yelped out and stepped back, looking at her with wide eyes.

"That's what you get for tricking me like that." Gabriella hissed out and started cooking and cleaning everything that Troy messed around with. Troy just glared at her and started setting up the table.

"Cutting off a finger… what an idiot." Gabriella snorted under her breath.

The rest of the cooking was quiet and Troy just sat at the table, patiently waiting for the food and occasionally looking at his now really injured finger. Finally, Gabriella put a plate down in front of him and took a seat.

"Were you serious before?" Gabriella asked carefully. This issue was bothering her ever since last night.

"About what?" Troy asked curiously while chewing.

"Is it really ok for me to be with Ryan?" she elaborated on her question.

"Oh, that…" Troy trailed off.

"Do you have even a slightest feeling about it?" Gabriella asked curiously and held her breath. He should feel somehow about the whole situation right?

"What kind of a feeling? I don't feel anything at all." Troy denied and shook his head.

"Men, insensitive pigs." Gabriella mumbled and angrily stabbed a potato with her fork.

"Sorry, what was that?" Troy asked casually.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing, just wanted to ask you how your potatoes are. My seem a bit…hard and cold." Gabriella said with a fake smile but spit out the two last words as if they were poison.

* * *

"I am glad you could make time for me today." Sharpay smiled and stirred her coffee.

"Of course Pay." Troy nodded with a smile. "But I called you here for a reason." He said a bit uncomfortably. Sharpay sensed his discomfort and stopped with stirring.

"What is it Troy?" she asked a bit worried.

"Gabriella and I are actually married for 3 more years. I thought you should know that." He told her and carefully observed her reaction. Sharpay's eyes widened.

"3 Years?!" she asked again in shock and received a nod from Troy.

"I…uhm…wow." She started with a small laugh. "I didn't expect that. I mean, I knew that there was a contract and a certain amount of time you guys had to be together. But I thought maybe few weeks more or few months more. But 3 years? Wow." She said and laugh nervously again.

"I know and I completely understand if you think that is very long. I mean 3 years is not a short period and you are a very attractive woman. It's ok for me if you decide to change your mind and…" Troy started rambling nervously.

"Troy!" Sharpay stopped him in the middle of his rant. "I am not going anywhere." She shook her head. "You have waited for me way longer than only 3 years. It's time I took my turn and waited for a while as well." She smiled warmly at him.

* * *

Gabriella happily knocked on Bolton's residence door. After lunch, she had received a phone call from Grandma. The two Bolton women wanted Gabriella to join them for dinner as it was quite a while since they had seen her. Grandma also wanted to see how Gabriella was doing after being sick and if the fertility medication did something.

"Good afternoon Ms. Gabriella, everyone is expecting you. They are in the living room." The butler opened the doors for her and took her coat.

"Thank you." She smiled at him politely and nodded. Walking fast towards the living room, a big smile spread out on Gabriella's face. She did miss Grandma and Lucille.

"Hello!" she exclaimed as soon as she reached the living room. They were sitting in the living room drinking tea and slowly the women looked at Gabriella with smiles on their own. Elizabeth, Lucille and…

"Sharpay! What a pleasant surprise!" Gabriella's smile faltered a bit but she caught herself. "What are you doing here?" she continued after she greeted the other two women and sat down.

"Oh, I just stopped by to give Elizabeth and Lucille few little things I got them from Milan when I was there with my collection last weekend." Sharpay said and looked at Elizabeth who nodded.

"And we really appreciate it Sharpay dear." She answered and took Sharpay's hand. Gabriella just glared at her and kept quiet.

"Why don't you two go and freshen up while me and Lucille go and check on dinner?" Elizabeth suddenly exclaimed. Gabriella and Sharpay nodded and stood up. Both women stepped into the big spacious bathroom and each went towards their own sink.

"So, how have you been Gabriella?" Sharpay asked even though her voice was as far from sincere as anything can be.

"So far so great. You?" Gabriella answered but she knew she would regret asking her the same question. Caught in a trap…again.

"Oh, I have been great. I had met up with Troy you know?" Sharpay looked at Gabriella curiously.

"Really?"

"Yes, and he told me about your 3 year contract." Sharpay nodded and Gabriella winced.

"Is that so? What else did Troy tell you?" Gabriella turned to the hand drier.

"He agreed to be with me after three years" Sharpay said and her tone sliced through Gabriella's heart like a knife. However, her words had helped her come to a decision. She couldn't let things like this hurt her forever, the sooner she ended things, the better for her heart and her mind. When Sharpay turned around, Gabriella quickly took off her ring and slipped it into her cosmetic bag.

* * *

Troy was uncomfortable and nervous, but mainly uncomfortable. Seriously, something weird was going on and he wanted to know. Since yesterday, Gabriella has been very compliant to every one of his orders. When he told her to wash the dishes, she stood up without a word and did so. He ran out of beer and mentioned that it would be nice of her if she went to the store and got him some. She did so and even bought him his favorite junk food. Troy knew something was off but tried to push his luck.

"My closet is very messy these days. I am just so busy with everything. I don't suppose you could go up and clean it for me Gabriella?" Troy asked curiously. Again, without a word, Gabriella stood up and began to walk up.

"Gabriella wait!" he quickly stopped her and stood up. Walking towards her, he took her hand and dragged her over to the couch.

"What are you doing?" she asked him.

"Are you ok?" he answered her question with his own one.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't know… but if you weren't alright, you would tell me right?" Troy checked.

"I am ok, so there is nothing to tell." Gabriella just shrugged him off and began standing up.

"Wait!" Troy stopped her for a second time.

"What!" she asked annoyed.

"You lost your ring!" Troy said, equally annoyed.

"No I haven't lost anything but patience with you!" she responded and walked away. So maybe this was what is was all about! She had lost her ring and she felt guilty about it, so she listened to all of his orders!

* * *

She did it! She finally did it! After all the hard work, finally there was some fruit! Gabriella had never felt so happy before!

"Really Gabi, congratulations on your very first screenplay again. It was very good." Ryan said with a smile.

"Thanks." Gabriella said shyly but couldn't help the big smile from breaking out on her face.

"I want to propose a toast." Ryan cleared his throat and lifted his glass of wine up. "To you and your screenplay." He said and Gabriella giggled but still toasted. That's right, Gabriella just finished her very first screenplay and couldn't be more ecstatic so she and Ryan decided to go out and celebrate.

"So are you overall?" Ryan asked a bit concerned. After all, he knew how much pain she went through. She described it all to him.

"I am good now, thanks to you." Gabriella said with a smile. "I really like you, you know?" she continued and Ryan smiled widely.

"I am glad you feel like that." He nodded and took a sip of his wine. The dinner continued and involved a lot of laughter and talking. Gabriella knew it was late and she knew she should be getting home. But what the heck right? What would it hurt to be a little later? Troy didn't care anyways. Or did he? That was what she was curious to find out.

* * *

Where was she? She should have been home about 2 hours ago! Troy was angry and concerned at the same time. She should call if she is going to be late! But what if something happened to her?

Troy knew she finished her screening today that's why he got home earlier and prepared something special for her. But it wouldn't be special anymore if she saw it tomorrow morning! Suddenly his phone beeped and indicated a text message.

**To: Troy**

**From: Gabriella**

**Date: 3 October 2009 22:20**

**Hi, I am going to come back a bit later. Don't wait up! Gabriella.**

Troy deleted the text message angrily! How dare she! Be so late and all he gets is a text message?! He took few deep breaths to calm himself and decided to wait for her anyway. Maybe he could kill some time with watching TV. Lakers might be on or something like that.

* * *

Gabriella quietly unlocked the door and stepped inside. It was not that late. Merely 30 minutes after she texted Troy. She wondered what his reaction was, but she will probably find out tomorrow morning during breakfast. Suddenly, Gabriella heard a light snore coming out of the living room and rolled her eyes, however before she could get in and wake Troy up, something caught her eyes in the back patio.

She decided to turn on the lights and find out what it was. The sight she saw made her gasp. There was a table set up for two with candles and dinner waiting. It bought tears to her eyes and somehow, Gabriella knew it wasn't the last time in the evening she will be close to crying.

Running over to the living room, she shook Troy's shoulders.

"Wake up you idiot. I told you not to wait up for me." she said softly.

"Huh, what? When? Where?" Troy opened his eyes and shook his head.

"What are you doing sleeping on the couch? It makes your back ache the next day remember?" Gabriella reminded him with a small smile.

"I decided to wait up for you. I have a small surprise." Troy said and his eyes lit up with excitement.

"I already saw it and it's beautiful! Thank you so much!" Gabriella giggled.

"Oh, well then, let's go and eat! Cause I am starving!" Troy exclaimed.

The dinner went really well. When it was time for the dessert, Troy run into the kitchen and brought back a beautiful chocolate covered cake with strawberries on top. Gabriella stared at disbelievingly. When Troy put it down on the table, she found out the cake had _Congratulations Brie _written on it in pink frosting. Gabriella gasped, covered her mouth with her hand and closed her eyes. She couldn't take it anymore. One time he is an insensitive jerk who doesn't care and the next he is sweet like this? It's like a roller coaster that she really didn't enjoy.

"Brie, are you ok?" Troy asked, concerned and Gabriella shook her head.

"No, I am not ok at all. I can't take this anymore ok? I just can't." She answered and grabbed her purse. After rummaging for a while, she took out her wedding ring and handed it over to Troy, who took it wordlessly.

"Let's divorce." Gabriella blurted out.

"But why…" Troy started.

"Would you want the girl you love to wait for 3 years?" Gabriella interrupted him. She had to do this before she broke, before she fell apart in front of him.

"But what about my family?" Troy asked. It worked the last time, but would it this time? Gabriella shook her head.

"They all love Sharpay very much. Don't worry about them." She said, remembering yesterday.

"Is it because you don't like to cook? Don't cook." Troy said, still trying to find a reason or an excuse. Anything, desperately.

"No, it's not anything like that. I talked to Sharpay and I came to realize that I can't do this anymore. I don't think that I can live with you anymore." Gabriella said and tears started to appear in her eyes again. Just few more minutes and this will be all over. She can keep tears from overflowing that long…

"Did Ryan ask you to divorce me quickly so you two could be together?" Troy asked with hurt expression.

"It's not that. I love you. I really love you. Can't you see that I am in pain? It's because it hurts that I can't go on. So please, let's stop. Let's stop this." Gabriella said and a single tear rolled down her cheek, followed by more single tears, one by one rolling down, taking a streak of black mascara with them down.

"You are so stupid. Why did you have to say that? You just had to say it right? You knew that if you said it then we wouldn't be able to be together." Troy said with a lot of pain and anger.

"Let's divorce fast so you can go to Sharpay." Gabriella answered, tears still flowing freely out of her eyes. She was so stupid. She couldn't do it, she broke in front of him, she showed him how weak she was and now she will have to pay for it.

"I'm sorry it had to end like this Brie, I really am."

**

* * *

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A/N: The real drama begins! Review! This was REALLY long! PHEW! Remember to click that green button right below ok?


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: yes we know…we are terribly sorry! It took us centuries to update a freaking chapter. But here it is ok? Due to some technical issues and mainly school, there was NO time at all. But thanks to your constant reviews and subscriptions etc. we decided that updates will just HAVE to come at least once a week no matter what!**

**No more talking…off to the story!**

**Disclaimer: Don't you just feel tired of us saying nothing is ours?**

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* * *

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Chapter 27

_Previously:_

"_Gabriella and I are actually married for 3 more years. I thought you should know that."_

_***_

"_Let's divorce."_

_***_

_"It's not that. I love you. I really love you. Can't you see that I am in pain? It's because it hurts that I can't go on. So please, let's stop. Let's stop this."_

* * *

You already know Ryan Evans. He wasn't a very hard person to figure out and so that comes back to the statement that you already know Ryan Evans. What Ryan Evans wanted, Ryan Evans got. He hated to lose and it was worse if he lost against someone. Call it pride, but Ryan believed he was too good for losing.

This time it was not a thing, rather a person. He wanted Gabriella Bolton, and he was prepared to do anything for it. The only thing that stood in his way was his rival Troy Bolton. That jerk let her go but held her heart, the exact thing Ryan wanted to conquer. But that was no problem, he already had a plan forming in his head, and currently he was working on it too.

"Mr. Evans, we need you to sign this consent before we can publish this story." The man seated opposite of him handed him a paper. Without a word, Ryan took out a pen and scribbled down his name in a way that no one could copy it.

"Very well, the story will be out tomorrow." The man stood up, nodded and went out of Ryan's office. Yes, Ryan's plan was set in motion, and only in matter of days the results would come out. His magazine will be sold out tomorrow for sure, thanks to the special report that will be featured inside and he just gave his consent for it. So what that many people will be affected? So what that one man's career might be at stake? So what that there will be people hurt by his actions. The only thing that matter to him was his goal - Getting Gabriella. And if this was what it took to get her, he was prepared to walk over dead bodies if he had to.

At the very thought that Gabriella might be really his in the next few days, Ryan felt like laughing and yelling out into the world that he, Ryan Evans, was truly an unbeatable man who always got what he wanted.

In the midst of his day dreaming, his phone vibrated. Opening the new message, his smile widened, if that was actually possible. Gabriella texted him, saying she wanted to meet up for lunch because she had something important to tell him. No who was he to refuse such an invitation? Texting back the time and place, Ryan stood up and headed out to his secretary to inform her that he had an important lunch meeting and he was not to be disturbed by any business calls.

* * *

"Explain this." Harry said in a cold angry voice while throwing a magazine at Chad. What did he do this time? He was sure he didn't mess up any of the recent errands and sure as hell he didn't do anything that included a magazine, so why was one being thrown at him now.

"What? I don't…" Chad started but quickly closed his mouth when he saw his answer on the cover of the tabloid.

**The Truth Behind Troyella's marriage! Not a Disney tale after all?**

What the heck was this? Chad didn't understand. How could this leak? He was sure no one outside knew about it. And those who did, would never sell the story to a newspaper or a magazine, let alone a magazine owned by a close friend of the mentioned pair, Ryan Evans.

"So? What do you have to say?" Harry said. He knew Chad had the truth and he was mad that even though he was the manager, there were many secrets kept away from him.

"Fine, you want the truth?" Chad sighed, it was too late anyway and if Harry knew the story, he might be able to figure something out that would save it all. After all, that's what managers did right? Right.

"The entire truth if you could." Harry nodded and sat down, this was going to take some time he thought.

* * *

TV was on and the Michael Jackson's This Is It movie was playing. Yes, it was in theatres right now, but Troy, being the big star he was, he got a DVD copy of it. Gabriella loved the King of Pop but she was staring at the screen abstinently, her mind being somewhere else completely. Oh well, she could watch the DVD another time. Right now, there were too many things in her head to ignore it and fully enjoy all his songs.

Gabriella had met up with Ryan for lunch. Although she didn't really want to, she needed some kindness and comforting and that's what Ryan offered. As soon as all the small talk was over and food was already on that table, Gabriella spilled the truth behind why she wanted to meet him. She told him about the previous night and the dinner with Troy, that was later followed by a very dramatic conversation. _"I asked Troy for a divorce" _she had told him. Even though Ryan had supported her and comforted her when the tears threatened to fall into her wine glass, Gabriella could see a happy twinkle in his eyes. He was happy that she and Troy were divorcing. At first, she was shocked and angry that he could do something like that, he could be happy from her sadness, but then she concluded that at least someone came out happy from this whole disaster right?

While thinking, she almost missed the door bell but eventually stood up and opened the door to reveal Harry, Troy's manager.

"Hi Harry, what are you doing here?" Gabriella exclaimed with wide eyes. It was not every day that the manager paid her a visit and she knew that he wasn't here for Troy.

"Hi, I am here to talk to you actually." Harry said with a tone that indicated he wasn't here to talk about the weather.

"Uhm, sure, come in." Gabriella said and stepped to one side to let Harry pass through. After she followed him into the living room, both of them sat down without a word. Harry was observing Gabriella and she began to feel quite uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze.

"So," Gabriella cleared her throat and swallowed "what did you want to talk about." Finally, the question was out and Harry stopped staring at her so intently.

"I came her to talk about this." He informed her while handing a magazine to her. Confused, she first looked at him and then she looked at the cover. Then it hit her, on the picture was her and a big title that almost made her choke.

"Are you kidding me?" Gabriella gasped out. "What is this?" she looked at Harry with shock clearly written in her eyes.

"I don't know, you tell me." Harry said. Gabriella's head started spinning. This couldn't be true. How the heck did this kind of thing leaked out? Frantically, she started searching inside the magazine for the article.

"No need to do that." Harry stopped her. "I will tell you exactly what it says." Gabriella nodded her head carefully, preparing herself for whatever blow it will be.

"It says you guys are going to divorce because the marriage is unhappy and you are not able to handle the pressure that comes with being a wife of an international star. It also mentions that your marriage is merely a contract. No true love, no nothing! It was basically to raise Troy's popularity and to put him back on the spotlight that's all." Harry told her. "What is funny about this was that it also said that it was me who came up with such an idea even though I didn't know about it until Chad had told me!" Harry exclaimed with anger.

"Listen, I can explain…" Gabriella tried to calm him down while plotting a revenge in her head against the big mouthed Chad!

"No! You can't explain! Because there is nothing to explain! What is done is done! I don't even understand how you guys could do something like that to me! You know how much trouble Troy is in?"

"Well what do you think we should do?" Gabriella asked in a small voice. She still couldn't believe this was out in the open.

"You guys made this mess by yourself and now you expect me to clean it up!"

"You are the only one that can do something about it Harry! We don't expect you to do anything, but I am pleading you, help Troy!" Gabriella said with tears in her eyes. Harry sighed and looked at her.

"I will do my best and you know it, but I can't clean this all up by myself and therefore, you will have to contribute into it. First of all, tell me, is the news about the divorce true?" Harry asked. Gabriella didn't say anything and looked down. Finally she just nodded her head softly and Harry mumbled "that's what I was afraid of."

"You know what this will do to his career?" Harry asked her and Gabriella's head immediately shot up.

"This will affect Troy's career?" She asked. How could she not think about that? During the past few days she didn't stop once and thought about the consequences of her actions. Sure, she thought about the Bolton family but not Troy's career. Or maybe she just assumed that it wouldn't affect his future as an actor at all… How stupid of her!

"Of course it will!" Harry exclaimed, clearly surprised that she didn't know about that. "It will damage his reputation. Many people will talk bad about him, many directors wont want to put him in their movies and surely he will lose many fans." He listed all the possible outcomes and with each one, Gabriella sunk even further into despair.

"What do you want me to do then?" Gabriella asked even though she knew the answer to that question.

"Postpone the divorce for me. For him." Harry said and Gabriella closed her eyes in pain. That was exactly what she thought and didn't want to do.

"But how? I already told him I wanted a divorce." _and Ryan too_, she thought to herself but kept that part out of the sentence.

"Beats me, just do it. I have some more places to stop by and do damage control." Harry stood up and shrugged his shoulders. Gabriella didn't even get to stand up when she heard the front door close already and she was left alone with Michael Jackson singing 'Why'.

* * *

"Ms. Henney!" Harry called out when he stepped into the shop. That was the last place he had to stop by for the day. Dare he say, the most important one too.

"Harry! What are you doing here?" Sharpay asked in surprise when she came out of her office at the back.

"Trust me, you are not the only one that had asked me that question today." Harry said and thought back Gabriella and his visit which reminded him of his purpose now.

"Ok…" Sharpay looked at him oddly.

"Anyway, I need to talk to you about something important, but it is private." Harry looked around to see if anyone was eavesdropping.

"Fine." Sharpay said leading him into her office and closing the door. "Now you can talk."

"I came here to ask you to stop seeing Troy." Harry said bluntly and watched as Sharpay gasped in surprise.

"Wh-what?" Sharpay stuttered out and Harry nodded.

"You heard me. Surely you saw the tabloids. I need to clear up that mess and you are just standing in the way. It would be really appreciated if you could step away. If you want to see Troy, do so when he is divorced, but now is not the time." He said and stepped out of the office, leaving Sharpay speechless.

* * *

When Troy opened the front door of the house later that day, the most delicious smell surrounded him. As if being pulled by the smell, he immediately shut the door and went straight into the kitchen. There, on the table, were all kinds of mouth watering dishes some of them, Troy couldn't even name. Looking up, he saw Gabriella sitting at the table, looking at him expectantly.

"Are you just going to stand there and stare or sit down and eat? Cause I am starving!" Gabriella said with a smirk. Without a word, Troy sat down and started tasting everything. Closing his eyes, Troy chewed, it was as if the food was melting on his tongue like butter.

"Is it good?" Gabriella asked expectantly.

"No, it's only the best food I've ever tasted in my life." Troy said with a smile and Gabriella giggled.

"Good, I am glad, because I was stuck in this kitchen the whole afternoon." She exclaimed and took a bite herself.

"So what's the occasion?" Troy asked after a while and immediately noticed that the smile Gabriella had adorned just few seconds ago vanished and she put her fork down.

"You know the divorce we talked about?" Gabriella started off uneasily and this time it was Troy who put his fork down.

"What about it?" he asked carefully observing her. Gabriella closed her eyes and breathed out heavily. Suddenly she opened her eyes again and with a smile she exclaimed:

"I was just joking! I don't really want a divorce! It was just a test to see how you would react. Plus, I wanted to show you how badly you treated me." She forced out a laugh. Troy sat there without a word staring at her. When the silence had been a bit too long, Gabriella moved uncomfortably in her chair. Suddenly, Troy pushed his chair back with so much force it fell and stormed out of the kitchen upstairs into his room. Gabriella immediately stood up and ran after him.

"Troy! Troy! Come on, wait for me please!" Gabriella called after him. When she got to his bedroom door, she carefully opened it and peeked inside. There on the bed, sat Troy staring at the white wall in front of him.

"Troy, are you ok?" she carefully walked to him and sat down next to him.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You are asking me if I am ok right now?! After you had told me that all those tears and divorce talk was fake! Just a joke to see how I would react?! Are you fucking kidding me?" Troy yelled out and Gabriella had to move away from him.

"I-I am sorry. It's just that I was really hurt by the way you were treating me." Gabriella tried to defend herself.

"Oh that is so rich! And how did you think I felt when you told me you want to divorce? Did you not think about what I feel?" Troy continued yelling.

"Come on, Troy, please, don't be angry anymore. I said I was sorry." She pleaded and carefully placed a had on his shoulder. However, he quickly shook it away and glared at her.

"Don't. Even. Touch me." He hissed out and breathed deeply through his nostrils.

"Troy, come on! Forgive me ok? What do you want me to do?" Gabriella asked and suddenly stood up. Clearing her throat she started singing Little tea pot but when she noticed he wasn't even paying attention, she sighed and sat back down. Getting nearer to him, she started whispering into his ear.

"Trooooy, I am your conscience. Listen to me….." she started in a lower, quieter voice. "Forgive Gabriella, don't be angry anymoooore. She said she was sorry….look how cute she looks pouting and asking you for her forgiveness." Troy turned his head towards her. Gabriella quickly sat up straight and put on her best puppy dog eyes and pout she could muster up. It quite worked and Troy chuckled.

"You are really childish you know that?" he asked and rolled his eyes. Gabriella just shrugged and winked at him.

"You know how much I hurt because of the divorce?" Troy suddenly said, looking down at his converse shoes. "I didn't sleep for many nights, when I did close my eyes, I saw the scene playing over and over in my head again." Troy said and closed his eyes painfully.

* * *

Gabriella yawned and sat up stretching. The sun shone through the windows and she could hear birds chirping outside. Overall, it was a great day. Opening her eyes, she realized she wasn't in her own room. She and Troy must have fell asleep after talking for the most of the night. Thinking back, she could help but smile, it was fun and she definitely learned more things about him. Speaking of which, where was her? Shrugging, she decided to leave the subject for now.

Walking into her room, she turned on her iPod and put it on speakers. Taking everything she needed from her closet, Gabriella went into the bathroom for a long shower.

Afterwards, she walked down only to find Troy sitting at the table, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper and on her side of the table, pancakes.

"Morning! Sleep well?" Troy asked when he noticed her at the door staring at everything with wide eyes.

"Uhm, yea…" Gabriella said slowly and sat down.

"Orange juice?" Troy asked and Gabriella nodded.

"When did you wake up?" Gabriella asked carefully, still not believing that this was actually happening.

"Oh, long time ago! I wanted to squeeze in laundry and washing the floors before you woke up." Troy answered with smile and Gabriella's mouth fell open.

"Who are you and what did you do to Troy?" she asked and Troy laughed out loud.

"Don't be mean, I am just trying to be nice and making up for the way I have been treating you before." Troy said with sadness in his voice.

"I'd rather if you didn't do that." Gabriella said with a mouthful of pancakes. "Don't be nice to me, seriously." She continued "It makes me anxious to death."

"Don't be silly." Troy chuckled and stood up. "Well, I should get started on cleaning the house!" he exclaimed. "You wouldn't mind washing the dishes would you?" he asked her and Gabriella shook her head.

Troy was humming while cleaning the windows when his phone started ringing. Without looking at caller ID, Troy flipped his phone open and held it to his ear.

"Troy Bolton speaking." He said formally, he knew that it was a business call as all his contacts he knew had a special ring tone and outside people had another one.

"Mr. Bolton! This is Patrick Davis." Troy had to stop for a minute and think back at who in the world was Patrick Davis.

"I am the director of the movie you were supposed to start shooting next week?" Patrick Davis hinted after Troy didn't answer right away.

"Oh right! How are you Patrick?" Troy recovered quickly and started cleaning the windows again.

"I am good, thank you. But I called to inform you with all my sincere apologies that due to some technical problems and issues with the plan, we decided to give your role to Chad Dylan Cooper. I am terribly sorry…" Patrick was saying something more, but Troy couldn't hear any of it anymore because his phone fell down onto the floor as Troy froze in shock.

* * *

"Can you believe it? Chad Dylan Cooper! They gave that newbie my role! How dare they!" Troy exclaimed and in frustration tipped the rest of his Whiskey into his mouth.

"Isn't that the guy that has you picture on the 'Banned' wall on his set?" Ryan asked with a chuckle.

"Yes, that's him, that brat." Troy hissed out.

"Oh well… roles come and go right? I am sure there are lots more roles for you." Ryan said even though he was smirking on the inside. After the initial shock, Troy had called Ryan and asked him to meet at the bar uptown because he really needed a drink.

"Sure, whatever you say but I really wanted the role." Troy said. "It's all because of the magazine. That stupid report that came out and it was in your magazine! I can't believe you even let that kind of thing be printed out!" Troy glared at Ryan.

"Actually…" Ryan started.

"You are right. You don't know about everything that gets printed in your magazine. Sorry to blame you." Troy said and Ryan smirked. He got off the hook easier than he thought. It was him though, no matter what Troy said. He was the one that signed the consent for the report to be printed out. Hell, it was him that typed up the whole thing and signed it under a false name. Who would say that Lucas Grabeel was, in fact, Ryan Evans?

"You know, reports about you, Gabriella and yours relationship will be coming out soon." Ryan started out, time to put the next phase of the plan into motion. "I think you should let her go so you don't hurt her even more. After all, you guys are divorcing pretty soon anyway right?" Ryan continued and Troy glared at him

"Thanks for your unnecessary advice man but for your information me and Brie decided not to divorce and as for her getting hurt, don't worry about that. I will protect her."

* * *

This was how it should be. This was what she wanted to happen every single day from now on. It was Sunday afternoon and she and Troy were both at home so they decided to watch movie. Finally she could watch This Is It in peace. Moreover, somehow, as the movie started, Gabriella ended up being curled up to Troy who had an arm protectively around her. This was nice, this was what she wanted. She could get used to it.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang and Troy paused the movie.

"You wont mind getting that door will you? I will get us some popcorn in the mean time." Troy said and stood up. Gabriella immediately missed the heat of his body but stood up also and went to the door. As soon as she opened the door, men started pouring in, each with a huge vase of red roses.

"What the…?" Gabriella started as she stared at about ten man, each with the identical thing in their arms, going into her house, putting the vase on the floor in the living room and going out again. Finally, when she couldn't see her sofa amongst the sea of roses anymore, a man came in with a single rose and a card attached to it.

"Gabriella Bolton right?" he said and she nodded. " This is for you." He gave it to her and without a word left as fast as he appeared.

Opening the card, Gabriella gasped in surprise and covered her mouth, tears flowing into her eyes.

_**For chicken**_

"Troy?" Gabriella called out and ran to search for him.

"Do you like it?" suddenly Troy came behind her as she stared at the pool of red in front of her. Without a word, Gabriella nodded while laughing and crying at the same time. "105 roses for you right now, as an apology for any future things I will unintentionally do to hurt you, so you know that I don't mean to and I hope it will ease the pain a bit." Troy said and Gabriella turned around to him suddenly looping her hands around his neck and hugging him tightly.

"Thank you." She whispered and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"Anything for my chicken." Troy said and Gabriella giggled while standing on tip toes and kissing him on the cheek.

The two of the continued to stand there in embrace for quite some time, enjoying each other and the privacy they had. Neither of the realized that their privacy wasn't as it seemed to be for they had an audience consisting of a blonde woman standing in the door way dressed in pink. Yes, Sharpay had seen the whole thing as she came and Gabriella forgot to close to front door.

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A/N: What did you think??? CLICK ON THE GREEN BUTTON BELOW!

**Oh, and here is a question, what was Ryan talking about with Chad Dylan Cooper and the 'Banned' wall? Shout out to those who know and tell us! 3**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Get this! The reviews for the last chapter were so awesome, seriously, they made us laugh and smile so wide! Thanks! 3**

**Yes, this story is getting long, yes it seems to be always the same, but you just HAVE to understand this! We went over this already right? It CANNOT be shortened. And you as readers should have understood Troyella's relationship by now…no? It's….complicated! Just bear with us ok?**

**Haha, glad you guys liked the Sonny with a chance shout out! :P**

**Speaking of shout outs, here are the people who picked up on that little thing: 1****st****, thanks for reading and 2****nd**** congrats! :D**

**-lilangelrach**

**-** **stardropsx**

**-** **XxarlimeXx12**

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**-** **Nikkoismylove**

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**AND MiLeyAsiNomas: We are MJ fans too!!! 3**

**Disclaimer: We don't own anything, like anything at all ok? Except for the words written.**

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Chapter 28

_Previously:_

"_Mr. Evans, we need you to sign this consent before we can publish this story."_

_***_

"_Postpone the divorce for me. For him."_

_***_

"_You know how much I hurt because of the divorce?"_

_***_

"_We decided to give your role to Chad Dylan Cooper."_

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Surely everyone knows the expression "quiet before the storm". If you know what reality means, you also must know that nothing ever lasts. You can never be content for a long time. There is always something that disturbs it after a while.

Contentment, Google would define this word to you as "happiness with one's situation in life" and that is exactly how Troy felt at the moment. Holding Gabriella in one place while the sun shone through and the aroma of 105 roses floated around them. However, as we already know, nothing lasts long.

A glass breaking could be heard from the door. Both Gabriella's and Troy's heads shot up right away towards the door and Gabriella gasped. There stood Sharpay with a shocked face, the noise produced from the, now broken, bottle of red wine that Sharpay dropped at the sight in front of her.

"Sharpay…" Troy started, but as soon as he said her name, Sharpay turned on her heels and ran out towards her car. Troy immediately shot out after her, leaving Gabriella standing there alone still trying to figure out what just happened. But damn, for wearing a pair of Manolo Blahniks, she was sure fast! Troy didn't even get out of his driveway when Sharpay was already in the car starting the engine.

"Sharpay! Stop! Sharpay!" Troy yelled while knocking on the passenger seats window of her car. However, ignoring him, Sharpay stepped on the gas pedal and with tears sped away from the house. Grabbing his hair and looking up the cloudless sky, Troy wondered how something could go from a dream into a nightmare in mere seconds.

"Troy?" Gabriella came out of the living room with one vase of roses when she heard Troy slam the door shut.

"Yea." He just nodded. "What are you doing with those?" he pointed at the vase.

"Oh, these." Gabriella blushed. "I am going to put each vase into a different room so I can see them everywhere and so the house smells like them too." She told him in a shy voice.

"Ok." He just said and went into the living room to sit. Gabriella frowned and looked at where he sat with a far off look. Quickly setting the vase on the dining table, she came back into the living room and sat down next to Troy.

"Are you ok Wildcat?" Gabriella asked while putting a hand on his arm. Troy's head snapped up at the nickname.

"What did you just call me?" he asked in shock and Gabriella blushed again and lowered her head.

"Wildcat." She mumbled.

"Why?" Troy asked with wide eyes.

"Uhm, I just…it just slipped…I didn't mean to…the name of you school…is all…" Gabriella mumbled and Troy merely heard few words.

"Right…" he nodded, still quite surprised. She did call him wildcat once before but that was all. It was the time when she told him they went to rival schools so she was a Knight and he was a Wildcat. But this time, this time the nickname came out from her lips differently. Almost….lovingly dare he say.

"You know, when I was young I decided to run away." Troy suddenly opened up and told her. Gabriella's eyes widened in surprise.

"Why?" Troy was quiet for a while, deciding what to reveal and what to leave out and if it was wise to even tell her anything.

"I hated my father so much after my sister died." He decided to say. "I blamed him for her death and I hated him for making her last days so bad and miserable." He said with pain in his eyes and Gabriella just squeezed his arm supportively.

"If it wasn't for Sharpay I would have really ran away." Troy said looking into Gabriella's eyes.

"Did she tell you not to go?" Gabriella whispered suddenly feeling that a normal voice would somehow be too loud and destroy the moment.

"No." Troy shook his head. "The money I had to run away, I used up to buy Sharpay ice-cream." He told her and Gabriella suddenly moved away from him, grabbing a cushion, she hugged it tight and looked at Troy. Speaking of destroying the moment…

"Why?" Gabriella asked with a hurt voice.

"I told her I would run away and she started crying." Troy said. "How could I leave her crying like that?" Gabriella didn't say anything and continued to listen.

"When we were nine, I made a promise to Sharpay that I would protect her for the rest of my life and never make her cry. If I left, I would have broken my promise and so I stayed." He explained while Gabriella just wanted to throw something at him and scream that he is an idiot. _"What about me?"_ she wanted to scream into his face.

"But you, you make me feel so happy you know?" Troy said as if reading her mind. "With you, I seem to be a different man. With you, I even forget Sharpay." He continued while looking at her features.

"So what is the problem?" Gabriella asked in a soft voice.

"The problem is…" Troy started but hesitated. "The problem is that now I have to go to Sharpay and take care of her because I already made her a promise."

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Thank God for make-up. Thank God for this invention that helps women all around the globe to cover up some of their imperfect skin. Gabriella couldn't be more grateful for it, especially today. The swollen eyes were partially masked by eyeliner and the bags under her eyes were covered too. Overall, she didn't look like she felt… like shit.

This was like a nightmare. Her body screamed for rest and she could barely move her body around, but when she tried to fall asleep and grant her body its wish, nightmares started to occur and the scene from the night before started to flash behind her eyelids. This guaranteed her next to zero of sleep the whole night and now she was meeting with Ryan for lunch. Wonderful, just wonderful.

"Brie?" Troy called her just when she was reaching for the doorknob to go for lunch.

"Yes?" she looked at him expectantly.

"Uhm…" he started and nervously rubbed the back of his neck, a habit maybe.

"What is it?" she asked him impatiently. She was tired and she was hungry.

"I…I will be moving out sometime next week." Troy said quickly and closed his eyes. After he realized Gabriella wouldn't say anything, he slowly opened his eyes to see her staring.

"Brie?" he asked carefully but all he got was her opening the door and slamming them again as she left the house.

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Lunch. Everyone you ask would tell you it's a meal time in between of morning and afternoon. Basically the most important meal during the day.

What people don't realize though, is that there are many kinds of lunches. Business lunch, lunch with friends, lunch with acquaintances, quick lunch, leisure lunch, luncheon, brunch and many others. The are way too many to name but the one Ryan was on right now couldn't be classified under any of these groups. There was no food but it was noon and they were sitting in a restaurant. By 'they' he meant himself and a crying Gabriella. Yes, Gabriella was crying.

When they met up, Ryan asked where she wanted to go but she just told him she didn't want to eat anything, only drink.

So there they were sitting, each with a glass of wine and even though it was just 20 minutes from when they arrived, a bottle and a half were already consumed.

"Can you believe that?" Gabriella sobbed while sipping her drink after telling Ryan the whole story. He just sat there looking at her, not saying anything.

"I mean, what kind of a person keeps promises made when you were 9?" she exclaimed and let out a big sob. Her sobbing and not too quiet voice grabbed the attention of more than one customer around. A lot of them were looking at Ryan and Gabriella while some glared at her for disturbing them, others looked at her sympathetically, shook their heads and clicked their tongues.

Ryan mentally sighed and reached over the table for Gabriella's hand. Why was he always the one to comfort her when Troy hurt her? However, that reminded him of his plan that was going just great. Soon enough he wouldn't have to comfort her anymore because she would be with him and he wouldn't let anything hurt her. Simple as that.

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Where the hell was she? She was out through the lunch and didn't even leave any food for him! Nor did she cook breakfast for that matter, but that was already in the contract so whatever. It was about 5pm now and Gabriella was nowhere to be seen yet and it was almost dinner time! Troy was starving and he wanted to show Gabriella this cool movie she would surely like.

Suddenly, Troy heard the front door open and then slam shut. Going out to the hallway to great Gabriella, he was met by drunk Gabriella stumbling around, trying to take her shoes off.

"Hubby!" she suddenly yelled out when she spotted him.

"Gabriella, are you drunk?" Troy asked even though that was the stupidest question at the moment seeing her like that. But that was the best he could come up with. Understand him ok, he never saw Gabriella come into the house in the middle of the afternoon drunk. Moreover, calling him hubby.

"Me? Drunk? Noooo! Why would you think that?" Gabriella laughed and wrapped her hands around Troy's neck.

"Come on, let's get you some water." Troy rolled his eyes and took her to the kitchen table to sit down.

"I don't want any water, but you know what? There was this really cute kitty on the road and I really wanted to take her home. Now I know I am allergic to them, but that is not such a big problem right? So when I wanted to go and take her, I sneezed so hard the kitty cat ran away!" Gabriella started to laugh hysterically and Troy put a glass of water in front of her.

"Drink." He ordered and sat down on the opposite side, watching her gulp down the water as if she haven't drank for weeks.

"Come on, let's get you upstairs." He said after a while. Standing up, he went around the table and picked her up bridal style. Walking up the stairs, Gabriella suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself closer.

"Don't go to Sharpay. I won't let you." She said while tears streamed out of her eyes. Troy just stood there on the stairs in shock. Did she just…?

"You don't know what you are talking about come on I will help you get to bed." He said with a nervous chuckle and continued to walk upstairs into her room. Putting her down on the bed, Troy noticed she was already asleep with her mouth opened a bit.

"I will take care of you." She suddenly mumbled and shifted on the bed a bit. Starring at her, Troy thought back about the past couple of days and what happened. How did everything suddenly get so out of control? Whenever they were happy and tried to live normally as a married couple should, something jumped in and ruined everything. He had never seen a girl cry so much in his whole life. And he was causing all that? She said she loved him, he told her to get lost. She said she will go to another guy just for his sake, he told her that it was completely fine! She said he could go to Sharpay because she knew how much he loved her; he said he will be moving out in a week's time! Even thinking about all that broke his heart. How could he be such a jerk? He didn't know…

"Don't get hurt just because of me…" he mumbled and with tears in his eyes touched her cheek gently before going outside and closing the door. Leaning against it, he closed his eyes as if in pain. How could he treat her like that? Why was he causing her so much pain? He didn't do it on purpose but the guilt was still the same. There was only one way to stop all that pain that he was causing her. Nodding his head, Troy headed to his own room with a set mind. If he was causing her pain because she was close to him, the only way to avoid it would be as far away form each other as possible.

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Gabriella suddenly sat up which was not the best decision she made. In fact, it was the worst decision she had ever made in her whole life. Not only did the light killed her and probably blinded her for life, she also felt like the whole weight of the world was on her head at the very moment. If she ever had a hangover, this was exactly how it would feel she imagined.

Getting slowly out of bed, she put her hand to her forehead and moaned. Why did God hate her this morning? What was she doing yesterday night anyway? She couldn't remember a thing! Walking slowly down the stairs, she came into the kitchen and plopped down onto a chair.

"Ah, I see you are up. How are you feeling?" Troy smirked while sliding a cup of coffee over to her side. Gratefully, Gabriella lifted the cup and took a long sip.

"Like my head was run over by a steamroller." Gabriella mumbled and took a bite out of the croissant that somehow appeared right in front of her as did the coffee before.

"Guess the hangover had arrived." Troy chuckled and folded the newspaper he was reading just before Gabriella came down.

"What hangover? I don't have a hangover." Gabriella said.

"Keep telling yourself that and it might go away." Troy looked at her amusedly.

"Shhhhh! Why are you so loud! You voice is like a hammer on my poor head!" she frowned and took the eggs from his plate.

"If that's not a hangover, then I did not star in Camp Socks!" Troy snickered.

"Nonsense." Gabriella said with a full mouth of bread. Man she was hungry!

"Listen," Troy started with a serious tone. One that would unnerve Gabriella if she had picked up on it but she was too busy looking for butter and salt. "What do you think about going back to the place we honeymooned at?" he offered. This made Gabriella stop chewing and finally focusing on his tone and what he was saying.

"As in a trip for us?" she said slowly, unsure.

"No, I meant only you. Take a week, maybe two of vacation that you deserve. What do you say?" Troy shook his head and looked at her expectantly.

"Why?" she asked with wide, innocent eyes that made Troy want to scream 'just take it!' at her. Instead, he closed his eyes for a second before opening them again and looking straight into her eyes.

"Because…because reports will be coming out on us and the marriage soon and I think it would be better for you if you stayed out of the city for a while." He said and Gabriella returned to chewing.

"What do you say?" he asked when no answer came his way, instead Gabriella kept eating.

"No. I am not going to go." She answered simply. "Would you pass the milk?"

"But why?" Troy asked, confused while lifting the jug with milk and handing it to her.

"See, I think that if bad things are supposed to come our way, I ought to stay here with you, right by your side." She answered as if it was obvious and poured milk into her cornflakes.

"No, no, no, no!" Troy said while wincing. "See, you don't understand! I am a jerk ok? And you just keep being all nice and innocent! Don't you see you shouldn't be here?" he screamed and Gabriella pushed her chair back a bit.

"I order you around! I yell at you! I am moody!" Troy started listing off, he was getting more and more furious by the minute. It was supposed to be so easy and simple! She should have just said yes and get a free vacation! Standing up, he started pacing around the kitchen while Gabriella just watched him.

"You know what? Pack your bags ok? Take all your stuff and get the hell away from here!" he said while pointing outside.

"No." Gabriella answered firmly.

"No? How dare you say no? This is my house you know that? I have the right to kick you out whenever I want!" Troy screamed and glared at her.

"Who are you kidding Troy? You might be a good actor but I wont buy this." Gabriella said in a calm voice. She was used to Troy being bipolar.

"Who am I kidding? I am not kidding anyone! I am serious! I don't even want to see you! I want you to get the hell away." Troy said. This was not working! He was supposed to get her as far away from his as possible! Yet, she saw through his game and she was being abundant! Damn it why didn't anything work? He would have to step up his game if he wanted to stop all that pain.

"And I want a huge walk in closet with brand new clothes inside, but you don't see me getting all upset over it and going all bipolar bitch!" Gabriella exclaimed while rolling her eyes.

"You know," Troy said coldly "all the promises I made to you? They mean nothing! Nothing at all." He hissed. "In fact, you mean nothing at all to me. I was just lying! That's right! My acting is not so bad after all is it?" Gabriella froze in shock and Troy saw he got what he wanted, but at what price? From her eyes, he could tell he had gone over the line. That was too much.

Wordlessly, Gabriella pushed the chair back and stood up.

"Gabi, wait…" Troy started but Gabriella turned around quickly and headed upstairs, but not before Troy could catch a glimpse of those tears flowing. The exact same ones that he started all this bullshit for. The exact same ones that he wanted to stop and never see again. Guess, it didn't work.

"Damn it!" he yelled and hit the table with his fist.

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A/N: Hit that green button right below! The next update will come faster if you do! :P It's already written! Oh and did anyone notice another "subtle" refference to SWAC? LOL...sorry but we just couldnt help but to put it there! Shout outs to those who tell us! 3


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Told you we would be fast if you reviewed! But how come there were less reviews than for the chapter before that? Did we suck that much? REVIEW PEOPLE! :P**

**The reviews were amazing anyway! So we decided to update right away for you guys... but we are warning you, next one wont come up until the weekend cuz of school and all those other painful everyday obligations. **

**Now, it was quite sad that none of you picked up on our SWAC reference although one person did try. XxarlimeXx12 great try but it was not right, so shout out for that! :D **

**The reference was to one of the newer episodes "Cookie monster" the one with Selena was Camp Hip Hop but that's alright! **

**Disclaimer: Did we forget to put one last time? Damn! So! We don't own anything here yea? Just the words that you are reading is all…**

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Chapter 29

_Previously:_

"_Are you ok Wildcat?"_

_***_

"_With you, I seem to be a different man. With you, I even forget Sharpay."_

_***_

"_I…I will be moving out sometime next week."_

_***_

"_Don't go to Sharpay. I won't let you."_

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"_All the promises I made to you? They mean nothing! Nothing at all."_

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It was such a nice night. No, 'nice' wouldn't cover it. It was perfect! She had a brand new Gucci cocktail dress just hot from the catwalk in Paris and a great man beside her. Her hair was done the exact way she wanted and she looked better than any movie star. Yes, Sharpay Henney couldn't imagine a better night than this one. Her and Troy decided to go out and were currently heading towards one of the best restaurants in town. The chef there was the best one in the world and you had to book the seats about half a year in advance if you even wanted to get it. Not that she cared about that or about the food. Being famous and successful had its perks, especially if you were Troy Bolton. When she mentioned that she wanted to eat there, he only did so much as pulled out a phone, said few words and off they were towards there. Although, it's not like she would be eating anything. After all, this great body that so many envied wasn't there by itself.

"Isn't it so great Troy? To be able to go out like this in the evening and enjoyed each other's company?" Sharpay breathed in and looked over at him with a smile. However, her smile faltered a bit when she noticed he didn't even pay attention to what she just said. Instead, he was focusing on the driving but still with a far off look.

"Troy?" she asked again in a louder voice.

"Huh? Yea?" he snapped out of his trance and looked at her.

"Are you ok Troy Boy? You seem out of it." Sharpay asked in what she considered a caring voice and touched his cheek.

"No, yea, I am perfectly fine." Troy gave her a half smile and went back to looking at the road. The truth was, he wasn't that ok at all. What happened the day before cost him a big lack of sleep and he was sure he was going to get white hair from all that thinking and damning himself. It seems as though Gabriella had gotten the message because the next day, Troy found himself at home completely alone. All her stuff was gone and so was she. No note about where she was going or who she was staying with. Very unnerving and he couldn't help but wonder if she was ok, if she was safe. He thought that going for dinner with Sharpay might clear his mind and distract him from his thoughts but so far it didn't work.

"Well, if you say so. But you would tell me if something was wrong right?" Sharpay said even though she knew completely well that he wouldn't especially if it was about that Gabriella girl. Pulling to the restaurant, Troy gave got out and gave his keys to the valet who took it to the parking lot. Going towards the entrance where Sharpay was waiting for him, he suddenly heard a loud squeal. No, it was not a fan. It was actually Sharpay who squealed as she saw something. Someone to be exact.

"Oh my gosh! What a coincidence! Ryan! Gabriella! What are you guys doing here?" she asked with enthusiasm, was it fake? No one could tell. But few people around did turn towards her and glared, she most probably cause few of them ear damage.

At the mentioning of Her name, Troy quickly turned around and froze. It was, in fact Gabriella and, to his dismay, Ryan. What were they doing here?

"Lovely to see you here Sharpay." Ryan said with a smile while he had his hand on Gabriella's lower back. "Troy." He nodded at his 'opponent'. Troy couldn't find his voice, his throat was closed up and he felt like his tongue was sand paper so he just nodded, but that hand on her lower back didn't pass him unnoticed. Troy had to use all his will power not to take it and break it into two.

"Well, don't tell me you guys are going to eat here too!" Sharpay said, still in her annoying bubbly voice. Well, duh, what else would they be doing, standing in front of the restaurant?

"Yes, me and Gabi decided to have a pleasant night and go out for dinner, isn't that right?" Ryan answered with a chuckle and turned to look at Gabriella who, until this moment had her head down as she didn't dare to look up, in case the ice blue eyes would catch her gaze. She didn't know what to do, of course all eyes were on her and she could particularly feel His eyes boring into her. So she slightly nodded, still not daring to look up.

Gabi, that nickname made Troy clench his teeth. So he had a nickname for her too? And she let him? It made his stomach turn and twist with jealousy but there was nothing he could do about it right?

"I have an idea!" Sharpay exclaimed and Troy shut his eyes. No, no, no, not again. He prayed to God that it wasn't what he thought it would be.

"Why don't we all sit together? I am sure we could change the reservations and make them for four, right Troysie?" Sharpay looked at him and hooked her arm around his own.

"Uhm, yea." Troy said nervously, he seriously hoped that the restaurant was to full to find a table for four.

"N-no! That wouldn't be necessary, we don't want to intrude and ruin your perfect night!" Gabriella's head shot up as she spoke for the first time to object this awkward and unnecessarily painful meeting.

"Oh don't be silly! It is still perfect! You couldn't possibly ruin it!" Sharpay giggled. How did that girl know it was the perfect night?

"I don't see why not! Let's go because I am starving!" Ryan said and lead Gabriella inside first, followed by Sharpay who dragged the somehow slow Troy.

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Everyone seemed to be against Troy tonight. Of course that for THE Troy Bolton, the restaurant had a table for four. So as they sat down, Sharpay immediately ordered the best bottle of wine they currently had and the small talk began.

"So, what made you guys come out tonight?" Sharpay asked.

"I decided to treat Gabriella today and we also wanted to celebrate something." Ryan answered and as he mentioned celebrating, looked pointedly at Troy who just glared back.

"Ooh! Celebrating huh? Did I mention you guys look so cute together? Don't they Troysie?" Sharpay giggled and put her hand on Troy's shoulder as she asked him a question that made Troy see red. No, his anger management classes weren't for nothing, so he bit his tongue and smiled.

"I wouldn't know, it depends on how you define cute because warm and fuzzy is not what I think I see. More like cold and sly is what I would say." Troy answered while looking straight at Gabriella, who by now was so angry that she was also looking straight at Troy. Once again, blue and brown met but this time, full of fire, ice and storm.

"Really? That is such a weird way of defining cute!" Ryan said with a fake smile. Sharpay was just looking at all three of them and particularly at Troy.

"Uhm, Troy! I just saw one of your movies the other day on TV! I couldn't help but think how brave and strong you are!!" Sharpay tried to change the subject.

"I wouldn't say that Sharpay." Gabriella said and Sharpay glared at her.

"Excuse me? What did you mean by that?" Sharpay asked in a hostile voice.

"What I mean is that I wouldn't say strong, I would rather say weak and cowardly than strong and brave." Gabriella faked smiled at her.

"Oh really?" Troy asked with an annoyed chuckle. "I recall someone telling me the other day that I was strong!" at that Gabriella laughed and looked at Ryan first then at Troy.

"That is called acting you should try it sometimes and maybe then Chad Dylan Cooper wouldn't get your roles."

"Burn!" Ryan mumbled while he fake coughed and he suddenly felt a kick under the table. Yes, it would cause pain to you too if $500 Christian Louboutin were stabbed into your shin.

"That's rich! Coming from someone who had to sell her body to someone in order to get her stupid stories even looked at!" Troy raised his voice, it wasn't that loud but loud enough to make some people around look the four of them.

"No listen you…" Ryan started out, angry but Gabriella put her hand up and stopped him. She was going to fight this alone.

"How dare you say that! I didn't sell my body to anyone! But you should look at yourself! Pathetic enough to lead a girl on and then leave her and run to the best friend who you had loved your whole life but she saw the loser in you and rejected you the whole time!" Gabriella said and stood up with anger.

"What the fuck are you saying? You don't know a single thing! I haven't lead you on! In fact…" Troy yelled and stood up too but Sharpay quickly intervened.

"The food is here!" she exclaimed loudly and clapped her hands. Both Gabriella and Troy, still glaring at each other, sat down with anger but didn't break their gaze.

"Troy! Guess what? I learned how to cook! What food would you like me to make tomorrow but I am warning you, I can't cook that well, so only middle class food for now ok?" Sharpay giggled and Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"He wouldn't know middle class food, he didn't know what was Mac and Cheese until recently." Gabriella mumbled but loud enough for everyone to hear. This statement caused Ryan to burst out laughing but he quickly covered it with a sip of wine.

"Sorry, they put a bit too much pepper in there, I sneezed." He apologized to them. Gabriella just smiled and took her napkin.

"Here, let me take this for you, you have a bit of…" She said and leaned to him to clean the spot on his cheek. Troy had to grip the ends of the table to hold still. The way her body leaned onto Ryan's and the way she took care of him…This was way too much and even those anger management classes weren't enough to hold this. He just prayed to God that the time moved faster so the evening would end.

"Thank you Gabi." Ryan looked at her appreciatively and nodded.

"Aw, aren't they cute together?" Sharpay cooed and looked at Troy again who was still gripping the table until his knuckles turned white. "Wait! You guys still didn't tell us what you were celebrating." She suddenly realized.

"Well," Ryan started and smiled and Gabriella who turned white and her smile immediately disappeared.

"Ryan…" she quietly pleaded but it seemed to quiet as Ryan still proceeded on.

"This afternoon, I asked Gabriella if she would go to Venice with me and, well, Gabriella said yes!" He beamed as Sharpay squealed loudly and Troy, similarly to Gabriella, turned pale white and sat frozen in his seat. What?

"That is great! I bet you will love Venice Gabriella! Italy is just amazing! And the city! Not to mention the shopping! Fabulous! I am jealous actually!" Sharpay giggled and smiled widely.

"I bet…" Gabriella mumbled with a tight smile.

"Speaking of which, I think it's time for us to go. Our flight is in few hours and we still need to pack." Ryan said and stood up.

"Thank you for the, uhm, lovely evening." He nodded "Gabriella, shall we?"

"Y-yeah" Gabriella said and stood up. She looked at Troy who was still white and staring at where she previously sat while Ryan helped her put her coat on.

"Well, have a great rest of evening." Ryan said and took Gabriella's arm.

"Oh, don't worry, we plan to." Sharpay giggled "have fun in Venice!" watching as the pair walked out of the restaurant, Sharpay turned to Troy. The sight made her heart break a little. Troy was staring at the retreating pair with evident pain in his eyes. It killed him to see them walk out and prepare to go abroad, just the two of them, alone.

"Troy?" Sharpay asked and shook him a little.

"Yea?" He immediately turned and looked at her.

"Shall we go?" Sharpay asked.

"Sure, let me just get the bill." Troy nodded and called the waiter to his table. After finding out, that the bill has already been taken care off, the two of the stood up and headed out.

"Do you want to stay with me? I mean, now that Gabriella is off to Venice, the house ought to be empty and cold." Sharpay suggested while they were waiting for the valet to bring their car.

"Uhm, I don't know Sharpay…" Troy started out, but he suddenly stopped as he realized she was right. Why would he stay in a house all alone anyway? "You know what? Maybe you are right! I will do that." He said while tipping the valet and getting inside the car.

"Really?" Sharpay asked in amazement. "That would be great!"

Getting inside the car, they drove towards Troy's house, so he could take some clothes and things he needed. The drive was weird though, the air around them was not at ease and Sharpay shifted uncomfortably. Troy was being weird again. Not paying attention to her and having that far off look.

"Troy? What is wrong with you?" she asked.

"Nothing, I am completely fine." He shrugged her off.

"Don't lie to me Troy. I know something is wrong. Tell me!" Sharpay said with a louder voice.

"Nothing is wrong ok? Drop it would you?" Troy said annoyed.

"No I wont drop it! Troy, I don't like it when you like to me!" she cried out and looked at him.

"Gabriella, don't…" Troy warned her with a low, dangerous voice. Hearing a sharp gasp from her, Troy turned to her. "What is it now?"

"Yo-you called me Gabriella…" Sharpay mumbled slowly.

"No I didn't." Troy denied quickly. He couldn't have…

"Yes you did! You said 'Gabriella, don't'…" Sharpay continued with an accusing voice and tears started to stream down her cheeks.

"Pay, don't!" Troy pleaded. "I am sorry ok? Don't cry! It's just…it's just I am worried about Gabriella. Going abroad like this, what if something happens to her? She can't speak English very well and she gets sick all them time. What if she forgets to bring her medicine with her? I am just so worried." Troy explained, thinking it would be better but he was mistaken. That was the last straw for Sharpay. She couldn't bare it anymore.

"Well then you shouldn't have let her go!" she screamed while crying hysterically.

* * *

She was right, he shouldn't have let her go. He shouldn't have allowed her to leave him behind like that. That is why Troy was currently running through the airport towards the check in area. How could he be so stupid? As soon as Sharpay yelled at him, and he realized his stupidness, he made a sharp U-turn on the road, almost hitting a truck, and sped towards the airport. He got there in a record time. Sharpay insisted that she would stay in the car so Troy could immediately run out and that was where he was right now. Running towards the check in counter.

He couldn't let her go! He didn't know what possessed him back at the restaurant! He should have stopped her right there and then, but nooo of course he had to be an idiot and freeze! Mentally kicking himself, Troy arrived at the check in counter.

"Hello, may I help you?" the woman behind the counter asked and looked up with a smile. Yes, as expected, she got star struck, but Troy didn't have time for stupid things like that.

"I need to know where is the plane to Venice as fast as possible." Troy managed to squeeze out while panting.

"Of course, one moment please." The woman quickly went back into her professional mode which Troy was very glad for. After a few seconds of typing into the computer, the woman looked up at him.

"I am sorry, but it seems like you just missed it, the only flight to Venice tonight just took off." She said with a sorry voice and pointed out of the window. Turning around quickly, Troy saw a plane on the runway slowly taking off. Running towards the glass window panes, Troy started hitting on them.

"No! No! No! No! Stop! Don't go!" He continued yelling, thus attracting many bystanders, some of them even took out their phones and started taking pictures. It's not everyday that you see an international star, trying to break the glass windows of LAX while yelling at a plane.

All his efforts were for nothing though, the plane still flew away, carrying Gabriella and happy Ryan inside and tomorrow, all the tabloids would probably have his picture on the front page. Walking back to the car, Troy sat down in the drivers seat and hit his head few times against the steering wheel.

"Guess it didn't go according to our plan huh?" Sharpay said sympathetically and rubbed his back.

"I really liked Gabriella you know? I don't think I ever felt the same about anyone, when I held her, when I made her laugh and when I saw her face while she was ice skating around." Troy said with a small smile while replaying his memories from before. "I am always so happy when I am around her, she makes me smile, she makes me do things I would have never done. I care about her so much, yet I cant even protect her, how pathetic am I? The only thing I do is hurt her!" Troy frowned and buried his face into his hands. Sharpay shut her eyes tightly for a second and then opened them again.

"Then protect her from now on. Don't hurt her anymore." She whispered and continued rubbing his back.

"I can't! She wont ever talk to me again and now she is with Ryan and they are both off to Venice!" Troy cried out and hit the steering wheel with his fist again.

"Don't think like that! I am sure she will give you another chance. Just go to her and apologize. You have to work hard to be with her." Sharpay said.

"I can't be with her." Troy shook his head and leaned back against the head rest, facing up.

"Why? Is it because of me?" Sharpay asked. When Troy didn't respond, she lowered her head and started playing with her fingers. "You know, I always knew that you were in love with Gabriella but I always lied to myself and denied all the signs that pointed to the truth. It hurt me too much to think that she had your heart." She continued while drops of tears slowly started falling down onto her hands. "I can't believe I was so selfish," she laughed half heartedly while sobbing "I only wanted what was best for me and I hurt my best friend in the process."

Troy didn't say anything, he just shut his eyes tightly and listened.

"I-I am letting go of you hand Troy."

* * *

It was happening, she was really going to Venice with Ryan. How the heck did they get to this point? Sitting in the plane in first class, Gabriella started wondering about whether or not this was a smart decision. Yes she wanted to get away and yes she never went to Italy before, but something was still holding her back. When she was walking out of the restaurant, Gabriella managed to look back and what she saw broke her heart. The look in Troy's eyes was enough to make her break down but she managed to hold it in. The way his eyes weren't blue anymore, they were stormy grey when he looked at them. The way his eyes revealed his soul and his broken heart. The way he managed to keep himself from killing Ryan. All that Gabriella picked up on during dinner and she could almost hear his heart being shattered into pieces when Ryan announced that she was going to Venice with him.

How much pain did she cause Troy? How much did the evening hurt him? How could she be like that? She loved him!

"No! Wait!" She suddenly yelled out upon her realization just as the stewardess was closing the doors of the plane. Everyone's eyes were on her and Gabriella suddenly felt unsure about what she was going to do.

"Gabi? Are you ok?" Ryan asked her in a lowered voice. Gabriella looked at him for a moment and shook her head. Taking all her purse and her cardigan, she stood up.

"I am sorry, I cant do this! I cant leave him like that and go to Venice! Please open the door for me, I want to get out." Gabriella apologized to Ryan and pleaded with the stewardess.

"I am sorry ms, but we cannot open the door now, it's too late." The stewardess apologized with a smile. "Now if you could please go back to you seat." She indicated gracefully.

"No I couldn't! Open the damn door for me and let me out! Or I swear I will…" Gabriella yelled out. It was enough to grab everyone's attention. Even the people who were at the very back and couldn't see her could hear her.

"Ms. Please…" the stewardess started again.

".OUT!" Gabriella screamed and the stewardess had no other choice but to dial a number and mumble something into the phone. Minutes after that, a noise could be heard outside and she opened the door.

"Here you go, hope you have a nice day." She nodded with a tight smile but Gabriella ignored her and ran out as fast as she could.

"Wait! Gabi!" Ryan yelled after her turning around, Gabriella saw that Ryan was trying to catch up to her.

"What are you doing Ryan? Why didn't you go to Venice?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Why would I go alone?" Ryan said and Gabriella just nodded and started running again. As soon as she was outside, she hailed a cab and quickly got in, Ryan following in suit.

"Can you go faster please?" Gabriella asked the driver for a hundredth time.

"Listen little missy, I am already going as fast as I can. If I go any faster, I would be breaking the law and pulled to the side by the cops." The driver answered annoyed. Taking out her wallet, Gabriella pulled out a $100 bill and threw it to the front seat.

"This might make you go faster." She hissed and the driver nodded.

"You bet…" he said and accelerated.

"Troy! Troy! Troy!" Gabriella ran inside the house as soon as the taxi pulled over at her house. Opening all the doors, she started frantically searching for the said person. However, he was nowhere to be found. Not in the kitchen, not in the living room, not even in his room. Coming back down sobbing, she found that Ryan was standing there in the middle of the doorway.

"I am too late. He already went to Sharpay." She cried out and Ryan hugged her.

"Shh… it's going to be ok. Don't cry." He started soothing her and led her over to the living room couch.

"If I didn't go from the beginning, he wouldn't have gone to Sharpay! We would both be here watching a movie!" Gabriella continued crying and Ryan did his best to comfort her. What they didn't know though, was that the person that Gabriella was crying over just came inside the house. Yes, Troy did return after dropping Sharpay at her house. He saw the lights on and he was happy, but the welcoming scene was not as he expected. Instead of Gabriella laughing and running into his arms, Troy was greeted with a completely different sight.

Ryan with his arms around Gabriella, while she rested her head on his shoulders.

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A/N: Haha…What do you think about it? CLICK THE GREEN BUTTON! 3 xoxo


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: HO HO HO Santa is here with a brand new chapter of House Rules! **

**We are sorry! Damn that took us SO freaking long! ****we are SO SORRY OK? Forgive us since is Christmas and all??? **

**How are you guys spending Christmas? We are going to Saigon to bath in sun and see some hot guys… and let me tell you…there are LOADS of them! :D **

**Anyway….we are sorry again! But consider this your x-mas present? **

**MERRY CHRISTMAS….happy new year is gonna come with another chapter…we hope…. :P**

**Disclaimer: We do not own anything…not even Santa… **

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Chapter 30

_Previously:_

"_This afternoon, I asked Gabriella if she would go to Venice with me and, well, Gabriella said yes!"_

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"_I really liked Gabriella you know? I don't think I ever felt the same about anyone…"_

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"_I-I am letting go of you hand Troy."_

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"_I am too late. He already went to Sharpay."_

* * *

How are those cliché stories like? Oh yea, a guy, a girl, hating each other but somehow still in each other's lives. The guy and the girl split up and the girl goes to the airport. The guy suddenly realizes that he is in love with her and runs to the airport to find her, however, the girl is already running back home to find him because she found out she loves him too. They completely miss each other and the girl cries as she thinks that he is with the other woman. Then the guy is supposed to come back home and find her there. Poof! Happily ever after!

Yes, indeed, that is how it's supposed to be. But hang on! Where in that story is a guy that goes with the girl and ends up comforting her and possibly ruining the happily ever after? Where in Gabriella's cliché moment does Ryan fit? Yet, he is still there, in the picture, sitting next to her and comforting her while she sobbed and talked about her love.

"It's going to be ok, after all, you can always meet up with him or call him." Ryan offered while Gabriella kept sobbing. This has been going on for most of the night, it was almost 3 in the morning now and they have yet to move from their spot and Gabriella didn't look like she was going to stop crying anytime soon.

"N-no, I ca-a-ant, Troy told me not to call hi-im." She sobbed and the stream of tears seamed to increase. "He is such a jerk!"

"Do you want me to beat him up?" Ryan asked while imagining the scene happening already. Oh how much would he like to deform that pretty face of Troy's.

"No need," Gabriella shook her head while chuckling a bit. "I am good fighter I could beat him up myself and besides, he gets beaten up all the time. Poor guy!" Gabriella started crying hard again. Suddenly, she felt two hands take her face and turn her towards the owner of those hands. Not fast enough to register what was happening, she felt Ryan's lips on hers.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Gabriella asked after Ryan pulled away.

"It was to surprise you so you would stop crying." Ryan said while stroking her cheek gently.

"Yea, you really surprised me, in fact, I was so shocked that all my tears went back in." Gabriella mumbled and Ryan laughed. "A-anyway, I think I am better now so you should probably go home."

"Are you sure?" he asked as they both stood up.

"Yup, all the crying made me really tired so I think I am going to sleep." Gabriella said and yawned in confirmation. Opening the door for Ryan to walk out, she leaned against the door frame and watched as he slowly walked to his car.

"Oh and Ryan?" she called out and he turned around. "next time, if you are going to make me stop crying by surprising me again, I am going to kill you ok?"

* * *

She was damn tired and the bags under her eyes only proved the statement. She couldn't sleep at all. As soon as she closed her eyes Picture of Troy came to her mind and haunted her all night long. Opening her door, Gabriella yawned and stretched walking out into the hall, a door right across hers caught her eyes. It was Troy's room. She haven't been inside so she couldn't tell whether or not he took all his stuff away already or it was still there.

Taking in a deep breath, Gabriella walked across the hall and put her hand on the handle, maybe sleeping in his bed could help her. It must still smell like him…

"Cause that is so not creepy and weird at all…" she mumbled before opening the door and stepping inside. When she turned around, however, a gasp came out of her. There, on the bed, was no one else but Troy Bolton himself, stretched all over the bed, not to mention shirtless.

"It can't be…" Gabriella whispered and rubbed her eyes again. She must have been hallucinating from the lack of sleep. However, when she opened her eyes again, there he was with all of his muscles defined. Surely her fantasy couldn't be THAT detailed! Or did the fertility pills finally have some effect?

Coming closer to the bed, Gabriella slowly stretched her arm out with a pointed finger. If she was really hallucinating, she wouldn't be able to touch him and then she will have to go and find a good psychiatrist. However, as she stretched her hand, the tip of her finger really touched the skin. Gabriella panicked, she didn't know if she should be happy because he was there and she really wasn't going crazy, or that she should be worried as to why the heck he was still here and not with Sharpay.

"Troy…Troy…" Gabriella started to shake his body, might as well wake him up to find out the truth.

"What the fuck?" Troy groaned and slowly opened his eyes. Looking to the side, his eyes widened as he found Gabriella sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Troy?"

"Why the hell are you bothering a sleeping person?" Troy mumbled out and turned to the other side.

"What are you still doing here? Aren't you supposed to be moving out?" Gabriella asked softly.

"Uhm… if you woke me up like this already, go and make breakfast!" Troy avoided her question and covered his head with another pillow.

* * *

"Say that you love me, I can't be without you, I'm so lonely and I'm lost without you…" Gabriella sang while pouring orange juice into a big glass mug. Putting everything on the table, she swayed her hips to the music coming out of the iPod connected to the speakers. She didn't know why but she felt good, she was in a good mood and the lack of sleep didn't seem to affect her at all.

"Can you stop singing? It sounds like cats scratching the blackboard." Troy said while sitting down on the table.

"Better than you screeching." Gabriella rolled her eyes and sat down on the opposite side.

"Hey! For your information, I starred in numerous musicals!" Troy objected and raised his fork in order to support the statement.

"Yea, and in one of them a different singer sang all the songs instead of you." Gabriella snorted and took and sip from her glass. Troy opened his mouth to object but closed it again when he found out he had no way to retort that.

"So why are you here anyways? Shouldn't you be living somewhere else now?" Gabriella asked while chewing.

"Uhm…yea…ehm…actually…something went wrong with the apartment." Troy said slowly and uncomfortably, using chewing to buy some time to make something up. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be in Venice with Ryan?" he asked with a smirk.

"I…uhm…had…the circumstances were…I still have some business to take care off and it can't be put off so I couldn't leave to Venice with Ryan." Gabriella stuttered out while blushing profusely.

"Sure you do…" Troy nodded with a knowing smirk but inside, he was jumping up and down with joy. She didn't leave with him!

* * *

Should she? Or shouldn't she? If she leaves it like that, it will bother her for the rest of her life but was she ready to open that can of worms yet? Looking out of the window to the back yard, she watched as Troy performed one lay up after the other, all of them perfectly. She had to know where it left the two of them! Were they friends? Were they something more? She knew she loved him but how were his feelings? The only way to find out was to talk to him. But was she ready for that?

"You can do this! You can do this!" she mumbled encouragingly as she walked out to the back yard and sat down on the grass near the basketball court.

"Trooooy…" she started out slowly and looked at him expectantly but Troy didn't react, instead, he just kept on shooting hoops and completely ignoring her presence.

"Troooy…" Gabriella tried again but louder.

"What?" Troy answered, annoyed, but kept his eyes on the net and shooting.

"So I've been thinking…" she started off. She had no idea how to say what she wanted to say…but she had to do it somehow right?

"Wow! I never knew chicken could think, how amazing…" Troy cut her off sarcastically but continued in his game. Gabriella used all her will power not to stand up, take the ball and hit him in the face with it.

"Patience…" she mumbled and breathed out deeply. "I don't understand why you are so mean to me these days. You always criticize me but you know? I felt really bad when I went to the airport." She said out loud while looking at him. Troy, however, didn't respond and so Gabriella carried on. "So let's talk this over. Why are you like this? What did I do that I deserve such treatment? What's wrong?"

"I don't like having conversations with a chicken. I just want to get a divorce and leave after all this. So just let it be." Troy responded but this time, he somehow missed all the shots he tried to make.

"Don't be like that. Let's try to talk…" Gabriella said softly.

"I said no! I don't want to talk to stupid people like you!" Troy cut her off.

"Stupid?" Gabriella asked exasperated.

"You always change you mind! One minute you are crying and the next minute you are all happy!" Troy suddenly burst out and stopped on the court to throw the ball against the fence.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Gabriella asked with wide eyes.

"What's wrong with you?!? How long has it been since I left home?!? What? A day?? Two days?! Then you bring another guy into this house? Gabriella Bolton, I didn't know you were that kind of girl! Are you that kind of girl? What's wrong with you?!?" Troy yelled out. All the steam he was bottling up inside was suddenly let out. Sure he felt better but as soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it.

"Excuse me?" Gabriella gasped out. She couldn't believe that he actually said those words. He might as well called her a slut!

"Never mind…forget it…" Troy mumbled out and turned around to retrieve his ball from the bushes.

"Wait…you knew Ryan was here? How did you know?" Gabriella asked with a raised eyebrow but Troy didn't respond. "Ryan was just taking me home from the airport." She explained. She didn't know why she had the urge to explain herself to him but she did. She didn't want him to think that there was something going on between her and Ryan.

"It doesn't matter. Did I say anything? What I meant was…good luck with Ryan. I don't care if you go out with him. Remember? We promised to stay out of each other's business." Troy said slowly, trying to cover up his slip. "You know, dragging a guy into a house is a bad thing."

"What?!" Gabriella said with a loud voice. Did he just… "Dragging in? If you don't like me "dragging" Ryan into the house, why don't you bring Sharpay in as well? I don't fucking care!" Gabriella yelled out and stood up. What is she, some kind of a whore? Dragging…what an ass…

"What did you say?" Troy said with a dangerously low tone.

"And besides, it's not like you have never been to her house! You went there countless of times! Is that her dragging you into her house?"

"Why are you always dragging Sharpay into the conversation?" Troy asked. Stupid women, they should come with a manual to use! "Plus, me and Sharpay had known each other for over 15 years! I always came over to her house when we were younger! But how long have you known Ryan? It's not like you guys are close childhood friends are you? It's stupid when you guys play and laugh together so damn stupidly! It looks funny!"

"Time doesn't matter between a man and a woman. The most important thing is," Gabriella sat back down and folded her arms "if they get along or not and if whether there is any chemistry."

"Chemistry?" Troy laughed. "That's bull and you know it."

"What's bull is that you believe that the world will end in 2012." Gabriella smirked.

"Shut up! It's true, go and watch that movie! It's damn true!" Troy said with a half angry and half scared voice.

"Whatever…" Gabriella sang out quietly but loud enough for Troy to hear.

"Shut up! A person like you wouldn't understand the complicated world and the whole situation anyway." Troy huffed and crossed his arms.

"ME? Stupid?!" Gabriella gasped out but Troy just raised his eyebrows. "That's it! I am through! I am not going to waste time with people like you! Damn the whole thing! Damn you! Stupid person…" Gabriella said and walked out to go up into her room. No one is going to call her stupid! No. one!

* * *

Troy was sitting in the living room watching the Muppets Christmas Carol when the doorbell rang. Curious about who was behind the door, he got up to open it. However, as soon as he opened it, he wished he didn't.

"Hello Troy." Ryan said with a fake smile.

"Ryan? What are you doing here?" Troy said. Damn, he'd rather if it was Santa Claus there, even though a day early.

"I just stopped by to give Gabi this." Ryan said and held up a bouquet of flowers.

"Oh…" Troy said and closed the door a little so he just fit in the gap, but Ryan couldn't see past.

"So?" Ryan said a bit awkwardly "is Gabi here?"

"A-a-actually, Gabriella is not here right now. But you can give me these and I will make sure she gets them when she is back." Troy said and was about to reach for the flowers when…

"Who is it Troy?" Gabriella voice came out from the top of the stairs.

"Shit…" Troy mumbled and closed his eyes. This was not happening to him!

"Is-is that Gabriella I hear?" Ryan asked suspiciously and tried to look past Troy who did his best to block the view.

"N-no! I didn't hear anything…" Troy covered up.

"Troy! Who is at the door?!" Gabriella yelled louder.

"Gabriella!" Ryan said and pushed past Troy who hit his head against the door and swore quietly.

"Ryan?" Gabriella said surprised while walking down the stairs. "What are you doing here?

"I came to give you these, but Troy told me you were out." Ryan said confused.

"Y-yea…" Gabriella stuttered and glared at Troy who just shrugged his shoulders. "I-I was…uhm…out, yea. But I just got in!" Gabriella covered up quickly. "And…uh…I went by the back door! Because, ehm, I wanted to surprise Troy by showing up like a ghost! Boy is that guy scared of ghosts." Gabriella laughed a bit while Troy just stuck his tongue out.

"Oh…" Ryan said dejectedly, he thought he just busted Troy, but who knew…

"Well, don't just stand there! Go and sit down, I will just get us something to drink. Troy would gladly join you, right Troy?" Gabriella asked with a fake smile.

"Uhm…actually…" Troy started off but Gabriella glared at him. "I would love to join you! Let's go!" He said quickly and ran inside the living room, Ryan following in suit.

When both of them sat down, the awkwardness rose up. Troy was glaring at Ryan and Ryan didn't know what to do. Suddenly, something caught Troy's eyes and he stood up to walk over to the fire place.

"Tell me Ryan, is this wedding picture of me and Brie straight?" Troy said and started re arranging the biggest wedding picture in the house.

"I-I…i-it…t-to the right?" Ryan answered uncomfortably while Troy turned around and smirked. That ought to show him…

"There, now it's perfect!" Troy breathed out and went back to the sofa. "Isn't Brie just so pretty in this picture? Even the photographer said we look great as a couple!" Troy said proudly and looked a Ryan who's face was redder than tomato. "So tell me, aren't you a busy man? What are you doing here anyway, surely you were not in the neighborhood, we live in the suburbs." Troy asked.

"Well, uhm, I was concerned about her and I wanted to see if she was alright, I mean clearly, she was very upset yesterday." Ryan answered and cleared his throat.

"Great! See, now is completely fine so I think you should go. Besides, I am here now so there is nothing to be concerned about, I can look after her now." Troy said and was about to stand up.

"Wait, why are you still here anyway? Weren't you supposed to move out and go to Sharpay or something like that?" Ryan asked but before Troy could answer, Gabriella came in with a tray of drinks.

"Aren't you supposed to go to the office Troy?" Gabriella asked while handing out the glasses.

"Yup! And I am going up now to change." Troy said and stood up. Going up, Troy thought about leaving them here. What if she got upset again, one thing would lead to the other, and then this and then that and an accident would happen and Gabriella would end up pregnant? The very thought made Troy want to puke and kill someone. Running up quickly, he threw on the first thing he saw. When coming downstairs, he took out his phone and put it to his ear.

"What was that Harry?" he said into the phone when he was near the living room, just for Ryan and Gabriella to hear. "Yea, I am just about to walk out of my house…" he continued and then paused as if to wait and see what Harry had to say.

"No, I am just about to…" Troy got 'cut off' by the other end. "Are you sure…?" Troy said when he reached the living room, pretending to look for his things all around the living room, just in front of Gabriella and her guest.

"Seriously, I could just stop by and…" Troy said. "Alright, fine… I am going to listen to you for once and…" Troy carried on with his 'conversation' completely aware of the 2 pairs of eyes staring at him. "Right, ok, see you then Harry! Bye!" he closed his phone and sighed. Turning around with a bright smile, Troy looked at the two.

"So? Now that I am no longer needed in the office, what do we have planned?" he asked looking from Ryan to Gabriella and back.

"Actually, Ryan and I are going for lunch." Gabriella said and stood up.

"What?" Troy asked with wide eyes and a small voice.

"Yea, well, I wanted to treat Gabi out so here we are…going." Ryan said and waved bye. The pair walked out and Troy just stared at them. Gabriella was about to get inside Ryan's car when Troy ran out of the house.

"Gabriella, don't go!" He said in a pleading voice that made her insides melt.

"Why?" Gabriella asked as if challenging him.

"You…" Troy started off, here was his chance! The ball was on his court and he could play it however he wanted to. "You…you are supposed to clean the house today!" Nicely played… and out.

"I will clean it when I get back, gosh…" Gabriella rolled her eyes. What a dumb ass.

"No, wait…Brie, don't go, please" Troy tried again. "If you go then…" he started and Gabriella looked at him expectantly. "If you go then who will cook lunch for me?" This made Gabriella want to slap him but nevertheless, she turned around and bent down.

"Sorry Ryan, looks like I can't go. Some other time maybe?" Gabriella apologized. However, she didn't even wait for the reply and slammed the door shut and walked back into the house.

* * *

Look at her, cleaning her ass off instead of going out for lunch with an attractive guy. Who the hell does that? Troy wondered in his head while watching Gabriella clean the windows.

"Why did you stay?" Troy suddenly asked, deciding to ask rather than sit there and wonder the whole damn day.

"Well," Gabriella said while cleaning the windows. "You told me to clean." When Troy didn't say anything, she continued. "And besides, I remember the time I went to you movie premier. You wanted to go with Sharpay, I told you not to go but you still went. I remember the feeling, the hurt, so I didn't want you to go through the same thing..." Gabriella said with a sad voice but still not stopping in cleaning the windows.

"It's not going to happen again." Troy promised after a while and stood up, deciding to join Gabriella in the cleaning to finish everything faster. Suddenly Gabriella dropped her cleaning water. Both Troy and Gabriella bent down to get it but when they were reaching for it, their hands touched. Of course, the sparks flew and everything seemed to stop. Looking into each other's eyes, both slowly got up, not breaking the eye contact. Forgetting the cleaning bottle, brown and blue. It was like a magnet holding them and like a magnet acts, it also pulled them closer and closer together. When their lips were about to meet, the most stupid interruption happened – the classic doorbell interruption.

Jumping apart as if someone had caught them with their hands in the cookie jar, the two looked away, blushing profusely.

"I…uhm… I am going to get it." Troy cleared his throat and went to open the door.

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A/N: The end! No…not yet…of this chapter anyway. Merry Christmas and Happy new year…Early…Tell me, what are you guys doing for Christmas and New Years? Leave a comment behind about your plans and review… 3

**OHHH!! And a bonus during this joyous Christmas season! Tell us the song Gabriella was singing while making breakfast. Yes it is hard…but the prize is great! Stacy is getting fired and Troy needs a new assistant! You guys know what that means!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D MERRY CHRISTMAS!**


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: We know! WE ARE SO SORRY!!!!! There is no excuse for this but we have been so busy and lazy and a LOT of drama happened. Damn we are so sorry! But we SWEAR this is not gonna happen again....**

**CONGRATS TO ZacVanessarock! She was the first one to get the answer right and therefore is Troy's new assistant! PEOPLE MEET _NORAH_! :P**

**Please enjoy and review because it was thanks to your reviews that we suddenly wanted to write more of this! 3 xoxo**

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Previously:_

"_Next time, if you are going to make me stop crying by surprising me again, I am going to kill you ok?"_

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"_Why are you like this? What did I do that I deserve such treatment? What's wrong?" _

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"_Why are you always dragging Sharpay into the conversation?"_

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"_I remember the time I went to you movie premier. You wanted to go with Sharpay, I told you not to go but you still went. I remember the feeling, the hurt, so I didn't want you to go through the same thing..."_

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Stupid stupid stupid! Why did people invent doorbells anyway? It was useless! The only thing it did was interrupting the best moments! And it always happened to him anyway. Whenever there was something going on, of course it was the doorbell that took him back into the harsh reality called life! Troy was angry, no, he was furious. He was prepared to kill the person who just rang the doorbell when he was about to… oh he couldn't even think about it!

Opening the door, Troy was ready to yell at that someone when he came face to face with not one, but two people. The ones he wanted to kill already from previous events – Chad and Taylor.

"'Sup dude!" Chad yelled out with more energy that a kid on sugar rush.

"Chad…" Taylor said in a low voice. "Hello Troy, we just came to give you back all the clothes from your attempt to move out." She said and pushed a pile of shirts to his chest, almost knocking the wind out of him, and went inside without any invitation. Troy just stared after her with wide eyes but turned around when Chad started speaking again.

"Oh yea, you know, I don't think you should go to the office anytime soon. It's pretty crazy over there…" Chad said while showing him the rest of the clothes he had in a big bag.

"What do you mean?" Troy asked when he finally recovered from the whole thing that just happened…wait…what just happened?

"Well, there are tons of reporters all around the place, they all want to know about your marriage and stuff…" Chad trailed off.

"Shit…" Troy mumbled and squeezed his eyes shut. "Don't tell anything to Gabriella are we clear?" he said and Chad nodded. Motioning him to take all the things, Troy led him upstairs to put all the clothes in his room.

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"What are you saying?" Gabriella asked with wide eyes. Uhm…too late Troy…oops…

"Well, the reporters all over Troy's office. They all want to know more about your marriage. So far, the reports that came out were…" Taylor trailed off as if she didn't want to tell Gabriella.

"We what Tay?" Gabriella urged her to continue.

"Well…they all said that you are a swindler, that you just married Troy for money especially since Troy paid off all of your credit card debts." Taylor said in hurry to get everything out.

"Are you serious?" Gabriella whispered while looking off into distance.

"As serious as a heart attack girl." Taylor said sympathetically and put a hand on Gabriella's shoulder. "But don't worry about them, people assume the reports are all lies anyway. You know how tabloids are." She tried to cheer her friend up.

"But is it a lie Tay? Is it? To me it seems like they hit the jackpot Tay. They got it right." Gabriella said in a small voice, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. Taylor went to open her mouth to say something when Chad interrupted her.

"Tay come one! We are leaving!" he yelled out from the front door. Turning around to look at her best friend, Taylor hugged her tight.

"Are you going to be alright?" she asked and instead of an answer she got a sob. "Oh Gabi, don't worry about it, I am sure Troy's crew will thing of something to make this all go away ok?" Taylor said and stood up.

"Sure, just go, Chad is waiting for you. Tell him I said hi." Gabriella managed a watery smile and sob once more before standing up as well and wiping off all her tears.

"Bye." Taylor said quietly and smiled before turning around to leave. When the doors finally shut behind the two "guests" Troy went back inside the living room only to find Gabriella sitting on the couch with a far away look, clearly upset.

"Hey hey Brie," Troy immediately rushed to her side, "are you alright? Is something wrong?" when he though that she wouldn't answer, Gabriella slowly turned to look at him.

"It's the reports Troy, I know about them…why didn't you tell me anything?" she said quietly and Troy's eyes widened in panic. Quickly thinking, Troy took her face in his hands and made her look at him.

"Listen Brie, don't worry about it ok? I will take care of everything, there is nothing you should be upset about." He said quickly and Gabriella nodded. Suddenly, the moment came back, the exact moment that they had before Chad and Taylor decided to ruin everything. The magnet inside them started acting again and they slowly started leaning closer. Troy already felt Gabriella's hot breath on his lips when his biggest enemy decided to step in – the doorbell rang again. Squeezing his eyes even tighter, Troy silently cursed, ready to kill that person behind the door! He could understand the interruption once, but twice? Really? God just hated him…

Opening the door, Troy couldn't even register anything when the person at the door stormed inside and straight into the living room. Troy immediately ran inside to see who it was when he came face to face with his father while Gabriella sat on the couch quietly, staring at Jack Bolton horrified. With one look, Troy immediately knew what happened.

"Who told you?" he asked and tried to swallow the tight lump in his throat.

"Who told me? Told me what? That my fucking son married a woman that was after his money? That the whole fucking marriage of yours was a pretended thing? That fucking thing?" Jack exploded and his face went red with fury.

"I am so sorry Jack! I never meant this to happen!" Gabriella jumped in quickly, pleading for forgiveness.

"How could you do this to your family? Your whole life you did nothing but disappoint us. You drop out of medical school, become some damn actor, move of the house and then this? What do you want Troy? Huh, kill your mother? Your grandmother? Me?" Jack yelled out, completely ignoring Gabriella.

"This is my life and I will live it however the fuck I feel like!" Troy said with a cold voice that bore the same amount of fury.

"How dare you!" Jack screamed and flung himself onto Troy who didn't expect the impact and fell down onto the ground where Jack continued to hit him. Gabriella screamed out in surprise and ran over to where Jack was beating Troy up who didn't even try to protect himself, just let his father hit him.

"Stop! Please stop!" Gabriella pleaded with tears running down her cheeks. She tried to prey Jack off of Troy but it was harder that she thought.

"Please stop it!" Gabriella screamed out as loud as she could until Jack stopped and looked at her. Looking down at his own hands with shock, he stood up slowly not even looking at his son who was bleeding and almost unconscious.

"Oh my God Troy! Are you alright?" Gabriella yelped out while crying and ran over to where he was lying. Sitting down next to him, she examined the damages while sobbing loudly. "What did you do to him Jack?" she cried. "It was not his fault! It was all my fault! Why did you have to do this?" she yelled out while still touching Troy softly.

"We need to talk." Jack just said and sat down on the couch.

"Wait first." Gabriella nodded and stood up. Going into the kitchen, she took a bowl with warm water, a clean towel, a disinfectant and some bandages. When she got back, she knelt down next to Troy again and started to clean his wounds.

"I am really sorry Jack, I never meant for this to happen." Gabriella said quietly while wetting the towel a bit after a while of silence.

"You probably had your reasons for doing it." Jack said while breathing out heavily. "I just cant believe you would deceive us like that. After we took you in as a family, as one of us." He continued and shook his head.

"I know and I can't begin to describe how much I wish for this to never have happened. It's all my fault and I know this doesn't mean anything to you but I am really sorry that I had to hurt you, all of you." She said quietly while choking back her sobs. Taking the towel and slowly but carefully, she started to clean all the wounds on Troy's face. His lip was busted, his nose was bleeding and there were few bruises here and there.

"As I said, I want to talk to you privately which means Troy cannot hear it." Jack repeated and glanced at his son in pain. He never meant to hit his son like this but the years of anger and disappointment that were bottled up just got released in one go and Jack couldn't stop.

"Let's just go to the kitchen, Troy is still half unconscious and I don't want to leave him alone." Gabriella whispered and wiped away the tears before Jack could see them.

"Now can I get you something to drink?" she offered after closing the kitchen door and making sure Troy would not be able to hear them if he woke up.

"No thank you. I want this conversation to be over and I need to say what I came here to say." Jack said and sat down at the breakfast table.

"I am really sorry Jack. I really am and I would give anything in the world to go back in time and undo everything." Gabriella said and looked down in shame. She felt like a complete idiot for doing this to the Bolton family and really she just wanted to go and die quietly somewhere.

"Now I get that you had to have your own reason for doing this, but don't you feel ashamed that you played a man and his family like this? You made them open their hearts to you and you just stomped on them mercilessly?" Jack began and his every word was accompanied by a sharp tone that tore Gabriella's own heart slowly.

"Jack…" she began with tears threatening to fall but she used every power in her body not to let them fall.

"No, listen!" Jack said with a strong yet very cold voice. "I considered you my daughter but now it's no more. You are no one to my family and I would really appreciate it if you could stay away from them."

"No…" Gabriella wanted to protest but once again got cut off.

"What I actually really want is to straight out leave the relationship." The man in front of her said directly and ignored the shock and hurt displayed on Gabriella's face. "Now I don't care if Troy has any feelings for you or you do for him but I am not letting him be near someone like you." He spat out the last sentence as if it was full of venom. As soon as he finished his sentence, he pushed the chair back and stood up. Not even acknowledging Gabriella's reaction, he opened the door and left without saying another word.

Gabriella was shocked. She was frozen in her seat while Jack's words played in her head again and again. She couldn't believe he asked her to do something like that even though she had to admit it was to be expected. However, the impact of those words were bigger. They were far worse than anything she had ever heard or went through and the tone clearly showed that Jack was not joking. The sound of Troy's groan snapped Gabriella out of her trance and she quickly rushed back into the living room to see what was wrong.

"Troy, are you alright?" she kneeled down next to the couch looking at him in worry.

"I am completely peachy! Never felt better." Troy answered sarcastically while wincing in pain and trying to sit up.

"No! Please, just lie down! It's going to hurt more if you sit up." Gabriella said in rush, fear written all over her face. Troy looked at her and his eyes immediately softened. Sitting up slowly, he told her to sit next to him and she obeyed.

"Are you alright?" He asked softly while brushing a strand of her hair back.

"I am f-fine." Gabriella stuttered not losing eye contact. "Are you alright?" she asked quickly and touched his busted lip gently.

"Well now that you mention it, my lips hurt a bit." Troy said in a small whiny voice but Gabriella didn't notice.

"Is that so?" she asked with a dry voice and swallowed heavily while staring at his lips. "Is there anything that could make the pain go away?" she whispered.

"Maybe a kiss or two." Troy responded in equally low tone. Leaning closer, Gabriella wetted her lips and swallowed again. Damn, why did her mouth have to be so dry?

"That might work." She whispered. Closing her eyes, Gabriella leaned in meeting Troy half way for a quick but gentle kiss. Pulling ever so slightly away, Gabriella could still feel Troy's hot breath on her lips. "Better?" she said in a low voice.

"A bit." Troy answered without opening his eyes. "I think one more is needed."

"I can't help but agree." Gabriella responded and leaned in once again. As soon as their lips met, Gabriella immediately wrapped her hands around Troy's neck and the initial small peck turned into a full blow heated kiss. Not thinking about any injuries, Troy quickly took Gabriella's waist and pulled her onto his lap. Deepening the kiss, Troy carefully used his tongue and explored every single crevice of her mouth and the two heatedly battled for domination. Gabriella didn't know what came into her but she felt like she needed to be closer to Troy, as if their bodies weren't already touching. No, that wasn't enough and so she pressed herself harder onto Troy who in turn voiced his approval with harder kisses. When air became a necessity to survive again, the two pulled away and rested their foreheads together, trying to catch their breaths. The two stayed quiet until their breathing became normal again.

"Does it feel better?" Gabriella whispered partly hating herself for breaking the silence but partly thanking herself for saving the situation before it became awkward.

"If I say it still hurts would I get another kiss?" Troy asked hopefully and Gabriella sat up straight and playfully swatted him over his chest. "Ow! I will take that as a no then." Troy pouted and massaged his 'sore' spot.

"Idiot." Gabriella rolled her eyes and went to get off of his lap but Troy held her still.

"No way your are moving." Troy shook his head and laughed when Gabriella pouted and crossed her arms.

"Fine!" she playfully glared at him. Troy just smiled at her and gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear while Gabriella turned scarlet red.

"Are you alright?" he asked with a voice filled with concern.

"I am fine, why are you asking?" Gabriella asked but she knew why and she didn't want to tell him what Jack had told her. She caused a lot of problems for him already and she didn't want to be even a bigger burden. Troy looked into her eyes and without her saying so, he already knew the answer to his question.

"I warned you it's going to be hard. That's why I bought you all those flowers remember?" Troy said and Gabriella smiled at the memory of the whole living room being swarmed with roses.

"I know and I am fine with it as long as you are." Gabriella said and looked straight into his blue eyes, almost drowning in them.

"Of course I am fine with it but I will keep buying you flowers just to tell you how sorry I am for this." Troy said and pulled her closer to him for a tight hug.

"Instead of those can I get an iPad or a full season of Glee?" Gabriella asked but her voice was muffled by his shirt.

"You are and idiot." Troy mumbled and she giggled.

"What? I love Glee and you wanted the iPad yourself!" Gabriella pouted but Troy could see she was joking thanks to the sparkle in her eyes. He laughed out loud and squeezed her sides affectionately. Suddenly the spark in Gabriella's eyes disappeared and so did her smile, replaced with a sad expression.

"I am so sorry about what I've cause. I didn't mean for things to go this way." She said while tears started to slip down her face. Troy immediately used his thumb to wipe them away.

"Shhhhh…please don't cry. You know how much I hate it. It's not your fault." Troy tried to quiet her down with sweet words.

"Tomorrow I will go to your parents house and apologize to Lucille and Grandmother." Gabriella sobbed in his arms, still sitting on his lap.

"No, don't go please." Troy objected but Gabriella shook her head.

"I have to. I care about them Troy and I can't just hurt them like this and hide." She said

"No, they will be fine! You are going to get hurt if you go there. Come on, you know them, they will tear you apart." Troy pleaded.

"Then so be it, I'd rather they do it then if they went around pretending I did nothing and that I was air." Gabriella said.

"Come on Brie, don't do this please." Troy tried again his worry very obvious. Instead of saying anything, Gabriella just kept quiet and went back to putting her head on Troy's shoulder while straddling him. Troy took this as a sign of agreement but Gabriella had her mind set.

Tomorrow she was to go to the Bolton residence and beg for forgiveness.

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**A/N: that's the end of one chapter people! Sorry again! Review? Even though we don't deserve them**

**Tell us: What did you think? What are your thoughts on Glee and Did you pick up your iPad yet? Cause we know we did! xoxo**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: Yup, this is definitely faster than that last update and I bet you guys are happy. We are happy too! Although we are a TINY bit disappointed with the reviews..We mean, we know that we probably deserve it after taking SO long to write one damn chapter but we also know that you guys are amazing and can do SO much better on the review side!**

**So here it goes..Enjoy and review ;) see if you can spot our new character in it!**

**Disclaimer: We do not like to repeat this! Yea yea, we don't own a thing mentioned in this story!**

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Previously:

_"Well, there are tons of reporters all around the place, they all want to know about your marriage and stuff…"_

_***_

_"Well…they all said that you are a swindler, that you just married Troy for money especially since Troy paid off all of your credit card debts."_

_***_

_"Now I get that you had to have your own reason for doing this, but don't you feel ashamed that you played a man and his family like this?"_

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**Chapter 32**

This was it. This was the lions den and she was about to step right into it. She was just like a lamb – a very, very stupid lamb – that was about to be eaten by the lions on her own will. Except, she wasn't an innocent lamb because this lamb was stepping into the hell hole thanks to the fact that she did something to deserve it. Being eaten was to be expected.

What Gabriella didn't expect, however, was the fact that the lions didn't even want to see her, let alone eat her or tear her apart. Indeed, she didn't know what to expect when she gathered all her courage and knocked on the door but she really didn't expect the house maid opening the door and telling her she cannot come in.

"What?" Gabriella asked in shock.

"You heard me right, the Boltons don't want you coming into their house." The maid that was once so nice to Gabriella said with an attitude.

"B-but…I came to apologize and beg for forgiveness." Gabriella stuttered while her eyes slowly filled with tears.

"Beg huh? You seem to beg for a lot of things: forgiveness, money…a husband perhaps?" the maid smirked and Gabriella's mouth opened in shock. "Now, go away, you are not welcomed here so please…" she glared at Gabriella and closed the door in her face before the shocked girl could react.

Slowly, Gabriella's mouth closed and she frowned. No one, and she repeats NO ONE slams the door in her face. Putting on a determined face, she regained her composure nodded. She was going to get into the house one way or another.

She was going to do this…

"I can't believe I didn't g-get in!" Gabriella cried out while tears streamed down her face.

"Shhh…" Ryan tried to soothe her. He pitied the girl in front of him. About half an hour before, he got a call from her. She was crying and Ryan had to make her repeat the same sentence fifty times before he could understand what she was saying. Gabriella was sitting in the park crying her eyes out when Ryan found her and so he crouched down before the mess of a girl and started to soothe her while she told him her story.

"She di-idn't want to se-ee me! Grandmother didn't wa-ant to see me or even he-ear me out! C-can you believe i-it?" Gabriella sobbed. She was determined but then it started raining and the out of nowhere the dogs ran out and they never liked her that much… God, it was a disaster! She felt like the girl in Glee in the first episode…a total failure and a loser!

"You know, back when I married Troy, I didn't realize it was wrong. I mean, I knew it was not right but I didn't think it was that bad. But know…" Gabriella burst out crying again. "N-now I k-know ho-w wrong I w-was!" Ryan took her hand in his and squeezed it reassuringly as if to say that he was there for her.

"I never meant for it to go this way! I don't know where things went wrong! It was all so smooth and easy!" she continued in a loud voice, attracting more than one look her way. "I really, really love Troy's family and I can't believe I hurt them this much!"

"Now…" Ryan wanted to say something but got cut by Gabriella's tears once again.

"I feel so horrible. I think I am going crazy!" she cried out even louder and Ryan looked around nervously giving a small smile to the old couple passing by.

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"No Norah **(A/N: ZacVanessarock is making appearance) **I don't want the basket full of cupcakes sent over to my house!" Troy said patiently into the phone. Stacy was fired few days ago and Harry immediately hired a new assistant for him. She was nice and definitely smarter than Stacy. However, she was a bit too caring and wanted everything perfectly in order.

"No, I don't care that even Pamela Anderson's kids are going to the Playboy mansion during Easter Sunday. I am not going! I don't celebrate Easter ok?" Troy said a bit impatiently. He wasn't really angry at Norah. He was just worried about Gabriella. When he woke up in the morning, she was gone and he had a faint idea where she went. Deciding to stay at home, Troy had to catch up on all the work he missed and sort things out with Stacy and in the office.

"No I am not going to appear on Oprah." Troy sighed and looked out of the window. What was that woman doing so long? When was she coming back?

"Yes Norah, I am listening to you. No, I will not go on any talk shows!" listening to the woman on the other end of the line talk, Troy made a note to give her a bonus with her next paycheck. She was so organized and within few hours of her being his assistant, she knew she had to kick his ass a bit in order to get him to do something.

"Yes…yes…there is no need for you to come over alright? I am going to stop by the office tomorrow and…" Troy didn't even finish his sentence when he heard a car pulling up in the drive way.

"Listen Norah, I have to go…" he said quickly and hung up. Looking out of the window, Troy frowned when he recognized the car to be Ryan Evan's car. Sitting down quickly on the couch and taking a magazine when he heard the keys in the lock, he tried to look as relaxed as he could.

"Hey…" Gabriella said as cheerfully as possible, trying to mask the fact that she was crying just 20 minutes ago, while going over to Troy. She was about to lean down to give him a kiss when she saw his face and frowned.

"Is something wrong?" she asked in confusion and Troy laughed out sarcastically. Suddenly he stopped and looked at her. The look made Gabriella step back and quite frankly she was scared. "Troy…what…"

"So I worry about you the whole morning, thinking you were being tortured by my family, while you go and run off to him?" Troy yelled out with fury. Did the kiss from last night mean nothing to her?

"That's not it Troy, and you know it. Ryan and I, we just had to talk about some things. That's all." Gabriella tried to explain to him calmly.

"Talked about some things huh? What things?" Troy asked, obviously calmer but still not completely content yet.

"Uhm…things…" Gabriella said nervously.

"What things Gabriella?" Troy asked, his anger rising again when Gabriella didn't respond. "What things do you guys talk about huh? What is it that you can't talk about with me but you can with some random guy?"

"Troy…" Gabriella began uneasily.

"Come on, say it! Why can't you say it? What, did he ask you to go on vacation with him again? Or did he ask you to kiss him again? Is that it?" Troy yelled out. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he went too far but he was too angry to care at the moment.

"Excuse me? What did you just say?" Gabriella gasped out. Did he really just…?

"Well I am really sorry. I am sorry that because of me you guys can't even get together. All because of me! You can't even divorce because of me, because I bound you with some stupid legal document! I am really sorry! You guys must hate me!" Troy yelled out sarcastically in frustration. Gabriella was so shocked and for what seemed like a thousandth time that day, her eyes filled up with tears. She didn't even know were those tears came from and why she never ran out of them.

"Come on! Tell me what you guys talked about!?" Troy hissed out.

"I told him I am tired and frustrated! There! I said it! Happy?" Gabriella suddenly yelled out and tears poured out of her eyes. This took Troy slightly aback. He sure didn't expect that.

"Why are you so tired? What around you talking about?" he asked, only traces of anger left.

"Because of you…you are always hurting me!" Gabriella yelled out in frustration.

"What?" Troy asked in shock.

"Do you know how much I cried after I met you? Even when I am hurting like this and I feel so tired, you are asking me why and making me explain myself! As if…as if it wasn't clear enough!" Gabriella finished her sentence with a sigh. She was really tired, emotionally and physically.

"I…I won't…I won't hurt you anymore. I won't make it hard for you…" Troy said after a long silence with defeat in his voice, mirroring the tiredness that was in Gabriella's.

"You won't hurt me?" she asked unsure.

"Yes, I won't hurt you. I will protect you…" Troy said. This really made Gabriella angry and flashes of previous events and Sharpay appeared in her head.

"How are you going to protect me?!? Do you even know what it means to protect someone? You think giving a crying person ice cream is a way of protecting and comforting them??!?!" Gabriella yelled out, completely furious.

"What?" Troy said with wide eyes. Shock and pain evident in his icy blue eyes.

"You don't even know anything! I can't believe you! You don't know how to love someone, you don't know how to show love and you don't know anything, anything at all, about the meaning of protecting someone! You hurt people without realizing it!" Gabriella went on, not caring that with every word, she was causing Troy as much pain as she was feeling. Troy's eyes, once so blue, now turned grey with sorrow. It was not the stormy grey that could shoot lightning when he was angry. It was the grey that represented hurt and so much pain. But Gabriella didn't notice it. She was too angry to notice it and the tears in her eyes didn't help with her vision either. When Troy didn't say anything, Gabriella went on.

"I don't want to be hurt anymore. Besides, we are married because of a contract. It was a wrong start. Let's just end it here." She sighed and looked down. She couldn't go on like this anymore. It was too much for her and she suddenly felt like she was trapped. Everything was repeating itself. Every week they would have this kind of a conversation and then they would work it out only to fight again the following week!

"What?" Troy asked in shock. He seemed to be repeating this word a lot lately but it was just the only thing that came to his mind.

"Let's just end it." Gabriella repeated. "I want it to be over, just go to Sharpay." She said and looked to the side where their wedding photo was hanging on the wall. When she looked back, she saw Troy staring at her. His pain was visible and she knew her face was showing the same thing.

"Gabriella," Troy began after a long and uncomfortable silence. "Let me just ask you one question." Gabriella was unsure what was coming next but she still nodded slowly.

"Doesn't Ryan hurt you? Or does he make you feel loved?" He asked without hesitation. This knocked the wind out of Gabriella's lungs. She sure as hell didn't expect this question but she knew the answer right away. It was no to both and her reflexes wanted her to just answer but she stopped herself. She knew that if she answered truthfully, they would reconcile again and then the following week, she would be crying…again. What was she supposed to do? She loved Troy, so much but she just didn't know whether or not she could continue with this constant drama.

"Can he protect you? Can he love you?" Troy went on with his questions when Gabriella didn't seem to answer. Gabriella closed her eyes. She had to make a decision and she had to make it now. Could she continue with her little life full of drama, watching as the man she loved so much constantly went to another woman? Or should she just give up on her little fairly tale ideology and go to a man that had so much to offer and could take care of her, drama free?

Opening her eyes, she came to a decision.

_

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Good job on preparing food for me every morning and night. I really appreciated it. Be healthy and take care of you self. Troy _

That's what Gabriella found, saying on the note that was left for her on the fridge the next morning. That's why she was currently sitting on the kitchen floor, crying her eyes out. What else did she expect? She said "yes" to him! She answered "yes" and God did it hurt! It was the hardest lie she ever had to say and not only did it rip her heart, she knew it ripped Troy's heart as well. However, all throughout the night, she kept telling herself that it was a right thing to do. She did it in order to protect herself and it was going to make Troy happier anyway. Eventually…

That was expected. She knew she would have to go through another period of pain before she could go on with her life. What was unexpected though, was the person standing behind her doors that afternoon.

"I heard what happened and I thought this could cheer you up." Sharpay said before Gabriella could say hello and held up a bottle of red wine.

"Uhm…Sharpay! Come-come in." Gabriella said in surprise.

"How are you feeling?" Sharpay asked in sympathy. If she was pretending, she as damn good at it, Gabriella thought. Maybe she should have became an actress as well.

"What do you mean?" she asked unsure.

"I heard that Troy and you broke up last night. So I wanted to check up on you." Sharpay explained. If she was happy, then she hid it well.

"Uhm…yea…" Gabriella said uncomfortably. "Wait, I've got something for you." She realized and stood up, going over to the bookshelf. There, she lifted the Great Gatsby and underneath it, took out an object.

"What is it?" Sharpay asked, clearly confused.

"Here, this belongs to you." Gabriella held out the ring in front of Sharpay, but she refused to touch it.

"What are you talking about?" Sharpay asked, looking at the object as if it was a smelly sock.

"This is the ring Troy used to propose to you remember?" Gabriella said in a small voice. "Please take this and please remember, always make him smile for me. Make sure he is happy and isn't hungry." She continued, her voice breaking ever so often.

"No." Sharpay shook her head and with a sad smile looked at Gabriella. "I can't do that. Troy is too stubborn for that." She looked at the girl in front of her and caught Gabriella by surprise when she took her hand. "Troy is an idiot ok? He can' say what's on his mind and he can never express how he truly feels."

"I know that." Gabriella nodded and retrieved her hand slowly.

"Then how come you don't seem to realize that he loves you?!" Sharpay asked in a tone that made Gabriella look up at her with wide eyes. "Please give Troy another chance." Sharpay pleaded. Gabriella didn't know what to do. She really wasn't prepared for this and Sharpay holding her hand was a big shock already. How could she handle another blow like this? Suddenly, she remembered what happened in the past few days and shook her head.

"I can't. I wronged and moreover hurt so many people. Jack, Lucille, Grandmother and most importantly Troy. I can't bear it, I can't hurt them even more Sharpay. I want to end this while it's still remotely early." Gabriella whispered.

* * *

"Mr. Bolton, you have 10 minutes." Norah said while writing something down on the clip board and then answering someone on the headset with a microphone attached to it.

"Alright, thanks Norah." Troy nodded and fixed his tie in the mirror. Troy was currently in the Hilton Hotel, 10 minutes away from a press conference that will decide his career.

"Mr. Bolton?" Norah spoke up nervously.

"What is it?" he urged her to go on.

"Your manager just wanted me to remind you that this is risky. You might not come back after this. Some directors are already taking back their scripts." Norah said with a hint of sadness in her voice. However, her composure was back to professional in a matter of seconds when someone said something to in her headset again. "You have 1 minute sir."

Troy nodded and began walking out onto the stage in the conference hall. This was it. This was the moment the whole world was waiting for. The truth about Troy Bolton.

"I have called for this press conference to tell you the truth. There is a girl in my life and I really love that girl. She always finds hope and joy in the smallest things. When I am with her, I'm cheerful. I've come to know what happiness really means. Because I love her so much, I wish to protect her. And in order to protect her, I have decided to get a divorce." Troy said. As soon as he finished, questions from every side were fired at him like bullets. He however, just stood up, ignoring the calls from the reporters and went back to his hotel room.

As soon as the doors closed behind him, Troy collapsed onto the floor, crying more than ever. He didn't cry this much when his favorite robot was destroyed, when his grandfather died or when the tree that held his tree house was cut down because it was infected with worms and his mother didn't want it to spread to the trees around, thus destroying his childhood.

Sitting there against the door, Troy ignored the constant knocks of his assistant and instead, flashes of memories flew in front of his eyes. Gabriella and the time they were on the swings in the play ground, the swing set in the backyard of their house, cleaning the house together, ice skating together… all these were going through his mind and more. What he didn't realize, was that the exact same thoughts were running through another person's head on the other side of the town.

Suddenly, Troy choked up on his tears when a particular memory came to him. It was so strong, for a moment he thought it was happening right in front of his eyes.

"_Troy, just go and take care of Sharpay because I will take care of you." Gabriella said and touched his cheek with the palm of her hand gently. _

This made Troy stand up and open the door. Almost knocking down Norah, he practically ran to the underground garage of the hotel and went to his car. Not bothering to look back at his assistant who was running after him and calling his name, he got into the car and started the engine, speeding off out of the hotel parking space…

* * *

The doorbell rang throughout the house and Gabriella was surprised to hear it. However, she still ran to the door and open it only to find a bouquet of flowers held in front of the person. Smiling slightly, Gabriella's eyes filled with tears when she saw they were red roses, the same roses that he got her. The same roses that…

"Hello Gabriella." Ryan brought the flowers down from his face and smiled.

* * *

**A/N: All we can say is that this story is slowly coming to an end :( REVIEW PEOPLE! You know you loved it! xoxo**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Hey! So this is took a bit longer but we consider it a quite fast update...no? Lol well, thanks for your reviews on the last chapter! We LOVE reading them... **

**oh and btw, we actually decided to make this story a TINY bit longer that we planned to so it should be maybe 5 more chapters? Yea, something like this. So enjoy and don't forget...TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!**

**Disclaimer: No, as much as we wish every single day, we do not own anything in the awesome chapter!**

_

* * *

Previously:_

_"You heard me right, the Boltons don't want you coming into their house."_

_***_

_"Do you know how much I cried after I met you? Even when I am hurting like this and I feel so tired, you are asking me why and making me explain myself! As if…as if it wasn't clear enough!"_

_***_

_"Because I love her so much, I wish to protect her. And in order to protect her, I have decided to get a divorce."_

* * *

**Chapter 33**

A month…a whole freaking month passed after all the drama in Gabriella's life and instead of feeling great and free, she just felt tired and miserable.

The house…well the house was a complete mess. Clothes were everywhere just lying on the floor, empty take out boxes lying between them and a mountain of dirty dishes was piled in the sink. Overall, the house was completely disgusting but did Gabriella care? She couldn't care less about any of it. There was no one to tell her to clean up, to do the laundry, to wash the dishes…Yes; she was completely alone in such a big house. Why? Because ever since the whole drama a WHOLE month ago, Troy was missing. Not literally missing cause she knew he was still talking to Chad, but he went God knows where.

"Shit!" Gabriella swore under her breath when she accidentally stepped on a plastic fork lying in her way to the stairs. She had a meeting with Ryan so she wanted to change but she just had to get injured on her way to her closet!

Ryan. Another issue she had to deal with but she was way too exhausted to even think about it at the moment so she just shut off her brain and threw on the first thing she found in her closet that didn't smell like 10 days old pizza. Dragging herself back down to the kitchen, Gabriella re-checked the note on the fridge that was conveniently right next to the last note she got from Troy that one damn month ago. Ignoring it, Gabriella glanced at the newer note to see if she forgot anything.

_The cleaning lady is going to come by at 12. xoxo Taylor_

Thank god for Taylor! Gabriella didn't know what she would do without her best friend because she was the one that dragged Gabriella's ass out of her room and into the sunlight. She was the one that came into Gabriella's house 2 days ago and screamed and swore that the sweater in the middle of the room was moving. Right after that, she picked up a phone and called the cleaning service to arrange help for Gabriella.

So, she had about 2 minutes before the cleaning lady came, then she would be going to the Plaza for a business lunch with Ryan. And yes, she Gabriella wanted to stress the importance of the word 'business' in the previous sentence. She really didn't want to deal with anything at the moment and the fact was Ryan made her feel good, he was there to comfort her but somehow, she found herself quite uncomfortable in his presence from time to time.

Sighing, Gabriella thought back to the day when she heard the doorbell ring. A month ago… she really thought it was Troy for a moment when she saw the roses and her heart was pounding and she was ready to jump into his arms. However, as soon as the flowers were lowered, Gabriella found out it was Ryan who was at the door and her smile faltered a bit. The big wave of disappointment was quickly replaced by her breaking down into tears and Ryan, once again picking up the pieces. They talked the whole night but Ryan kept pushing her, talking to her about Troy and telling her how he would never do something like that to her. Gabriella found herself wanting him to get out of the house, to be all alone, to cry herself to sleep, to scream and yell at Ryan for even being in the picture even though she knew it was not his fault.

Closing her eyes in frustration, Gabriella breathed in deeply and exhaled loudly. She had a business lunch to attend about her script and she really needed a lot of power to face him, the only person that loved her, the only person that was there when she needed him, the only person that picked up the pieces even though she didn't want him to.

* * *

"So, I already found a director and an actor for the lead role for your screenplay Gabi." Ryan said while Gabriella inwardly cringed at the nickname. Don't take her wrong, she did like Ryan but she just…she couldn't even describe the feeling she had when she was in his presence. It was complicated. On one hand, she liked him but on the other hand, she just felt like running away and hiding, scared.

"Uhm…is the actor tall? I mean, he has to be tall and stuff like that." Gabriella said, having only one actor in her head for the role.

"You mean about Troy's height?" Ryan asked with a bit of bitterness in his voice.

"Uh…" Gabriella slightly chocked on her food. "The reason for that is that there is a scene where the actor has to be able to reach above the actress, you know, for cleaning the window." She explained.

"Very well then, this actor is not as tall, I guess I will look at the other actors that are available." Ryan trailed off while cutting his steak. Gabriella took a breath to gain some courage.

"I mean, can't we just cast Troy for the lead? I had him in mind while writing this script anyway and I know for a fact that his schedule is quite open." Gabriella asked, partly because she wanted to see Troy again and partly because she knew he lost quite a few roles since the whole divorce thing. However, she would never admit the first part…not yet anyway.

Ryan didn't respond to this and instead busied himself with chewing properly. The two sat in the crowded restaurant, listening to people's laughs and low murmur. Suddenly, Ryan took Gabriella's hand again, preventing her from eating.

"Eating together, drinking together, talking together, laughing together…just like this." He began and motioned between them with his free hand. "What do you think about that? Like, for everyday?" he asked.

"Everyday?" Gabriella asked in confusion. She didn't know where he was going with this.

"Yea, I'd love to see you everyday." Ryan nodded eagerly and smiled. Gabriella didn't know what to say. She didn't know what he was talking about but she was quite nervous. Instead of answering him, she just looked at him with slightly furrowed eyebrows.

"Gabriella Montez… Ryan began and Gabriella couldn't help but notice that he used her maiden name. 'Bolton' being forgotten completely. "I am actually proposing to you right now…" he finished off nervously and waited for her reaction. Gabriella didn't know how to react. In her mind, she was screaming but not in joy. More like her red alert was on and everything was spinning and she just wanted to run out screaming. What was he doing? Why was he doing this to her?! What was she supposed to do?

"I…It- it hasn't been long since…since I've been divorced…" Gabriella said, carefully choosing her words and not looking into his eyes. Actually it had been a freaking month since her divorce and Ryan fucking Evans was already asking her to marry him.

"Then…I will wait for you." Ryan said, disappointment laced in his voice and let go of Gabriella's hand, going back to eating.

* * *

She didn't know what to do. When Gabriella got home, her house was so clean she could see her own reflection on the floor tiles. She was missing him so much and the clean house just reminded her of the times he used to yell at her to clean up. Her chest hurt so much and she felt like there was something missing inside of her. Every step she made seemed harder and heavier than the one before and Gabriella used all of her remaining power to get herself up the stairs and in front of the door leading to His bedroom. She didn't dare to step into it ever since he had left and now, she was already opening the door into the sacred bedroom of Troy Bolton, he ex-husband.

As soon as Gabriella opened the door, Troy's scent hit her hard as if he was still there, as if he just left the room and sprayed his Axe on. As soon as the his smell hit her, Gabriella almost collapsed. She didn't expect something like this to have such strong effect on her but she couldn't help herself. Trying her hardest to stay sane, she somehow made it to his bed and collapsed onto it. Again, his scent wrapped around her and for a moment, she felt like Troy was hugging her again. Letting her tears fall freely, Gabriella hugged his pillow and took a deep breath. Of course it smelled like him, this whole damn room smelled like him and she was foolish enough to go inside and be reminded of her hurt. Why was she so stupid sometimes?

Sitting up slowly, Gabriella sobbed and reached for the box on the other side of the bed that she bought up with her. Wiping her tears off, Gabriella slowing opened the lid and took out her ring. He wedding ring to be exact. The ring she put in the box after she pushed the urge to throw it into the ocean. She thought it was a smart choice so she just stored it and today was the day she took it out.

* * *

"Norah, hey uhm… is Harry here?" Ryan asked the assistant that was currently being a receptionist to Troy's manager considering the fact that the said actor was gone for a while and Constance, Harry's secretary, was sick.

"Yes, just go into his office Mr. Evans. He is already notified of your presence." Norah said in a professional tone and immediately went back to typing in the laptop and talking in the head set at the same time. Ryan just chuckled and went towards Harry's office. Norah was very efficient, it was actually Ryan who had recommended her for this job and now he was actually regretting it. He should have just kept her for himself, after all, god knows his PA wasn't the brightest pea in the pot.

"Come in!" Harry called out when he heard a knock and lifted up his gaze to see Ryan Evans walking in. "Ah! Ryan! How nice to see you. Have a seat!" He greeted the young blond man in front of him with a hand shake and motioned to the leather seats across his desk.

"Hello Harry." Ryan nodded.

"So what brings you here." Troy's manager asked with interest.

"Well, I actually came to ask if Troy was available for a lead role in my upcoming movie that I am producing." Ryan went straight into the subject without any hesitation. Of course he didn't want to hire Troy. No, actually, part of him wanted to because he was his friend for a long time already but there was a part of him that didn't want Troy to get anywhere near Gabriella and taking this role meant that he would be constantly working with Gabriella which Ryan didn't like a bit.

"You…you want Troy for a lead role in a movie?" Harry asked surprised and unsure. Ryan took a while to think about this should he or shouldn't he? But after a while, he nodded with a determined face.

"I am really not sure about this Ryan. I mean, you know what has been going on. Troy's popularity declined a lot and he is not even in L.A. right now and…" Harry breathed out heavily. "I just don't think it's the right time for him to go out into the public eye yet."

"No. He has to take this role and I am sure that taking it would be a good move to repair his career. This would mean his come back and besides, the person that has written the script wrote it with Troy in her mind as the lead so the perfect fit for this role is only Troy. No one else." Ryan argued back. Gabriella wanted this and if she wanted it, he would make sure that she got it.

"Are you absolutely sure about this?" Harry asked again with a doubtful look on his face. God knows he wanted Troy to be back in town and his popularity to be on it's highest point again. After all, he considered Troy as a son and he just wanted to best for him.

"Yes I am sure." Ryan answered without blinking. Harry looked at him again and with a sigh, he reached for the phone and pressed a button.

"Norah, send for Chad Danforth would you?"

* * *

Scottsdale, Arizona. The "America's best place to live for Golf". That's where Troy Bolton has been hiding for about a month and that's what he had been doing, playing golf constantly. He loved golf and not only was he able to practice one of his favorite sports, he was also able to get away from everything. He was able to get away from Hollywood, the press, his parents and most importantly Gabriella.

Gabriella, even the name made his wince in pain. He didn't know what to do. What has gotten into him. All he knew was that at one point he was driving out of the hotel garage and the next thing he knew, he was in the Airport, flying without any luggage, first class to Arizona where he immediately rented a car and somehow ended up in Stonecreek Resort where he had been for a whole month, just enjoying the resort and the golf course it offered.

He busied himself all the time, he was constantly playing golf or basketball or he was doing another sport, anything to get his mind of the drama. He wanted to forget everything and most importantly, he wanted to heal. It was hard and whenever he saw something that reminded him of Her, he was in an enormous amount of pain. It came to a point where his masseuse was named Gabi and he couldn't even look at her. He had to immediately request someone else for his relaxing massage and he was relieved that he had done so without going into some kind of a panic attack or collapsing on the floor.

"Mr. Bolton? You have a guest waiting for you in the lobby." The receptionist informed him when he picked up the phone. Troy was very curious as to who it was considering the fact that almost no one knew where he was. Only Harry, Norah and Chad. Putting on a light green polo shirt that complimented his tan that he got during the endless hours on the golf course, Troy walked out of his room with the key in his pocket down into the lobby to see who the hell came all the way from California to Arizona for him.

"Troy! Over here!" he heard a familiar voice call him and he spun around looking into the hotel's restaurant spotting Chad jumping up and down trying to get his attention.

"I guess it's too late to run." Troy murmured while working over to where Chad was sitting. "What are you doing here Chad?" he asked in an annoyed voice that made Chad smile even more.

"I came to ask you to come back to California." He replied right away.

"Forget about it." Troy hissed out and went to stand up to walk away but Chad managed to stop him before he could even get up from his seat.

"No, listen to me first and besides I ordered a beer for you and me and simply, I don't have money right now to pay for them." Chad grinned which made Troy roll his eyes and sit back down.

"Whatever, I am going to drink my beer and I am going to pay for yours too but I am not going back." Troy said and crossed his arms, glaring at Chad who was still smiling while plotting a plan in his head.

"Aren't you even a tiny bit curious how Gabriella is doing?" he asked after a while with a knowing smile, not missing the fact that Troy jerked back a bit when he said her name. "You know, she is sick right now…" Chad decided to test the water carefully and looked at Troy whose head snapped right up and looked at him, worry written across his face.

"What? How sick is she?" Troy asked immediately a little scared and very worried. _Bingo! _Chad thought silently and smiled triumphantly which went unnoticed by Troy.

"Well…" Chad went to say but got cut off by Troy.

"Wait…why should I care right now? She has Ryan to take care of her." Troy said and looked down sadly.

"Dude…" Chad wanted to comfort Troy a bit and somehow fix his plan that was currently going all wrong but, once again got cut off.

"If she is sick, doesn't Ryan visit her? Doesn't he take care of her? She needs hot chicken soup…" Troy couldn't help but worry which made Chad smirk. Plan was back on tracks.

"Oh you didn't hear?" Chad pretended to be surprised. "It turns out that Ryan is a complete womanizer! The truth was, he was looking for challenge and that challenge was taking Gabriella away from you. But now that you are out of the picture, Ryan is bored with Gabriella and left her! Now Gabriella is a mess, not only is she hurting twice as much since you left, she is also feeling very betrayed cause she believed in Ryan…to some extent." Chad lied and mentally congratulated himself for being such a good liar and actor. How did he come up with this? He had no idea, but he as good!

This was a shock to Troy. He was angry at Ryan that's for sure but he actually didn't really know how to feel about this situation. Thinking, he looked down and played with his wedding ring that never left his finger.

**

* * *

A/N: Sooo! Not much of a cliffy, but we PROMISE there is LOADS happening in the next chapter! The more reviews, the faster the update! xoxo**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: Hey everyone! Today is a very special day! Not only it is Labour Day, it is also Kessy0105's birthday!!!! For those of u who don't know who Kessy is, well she is the second half of Soliloquiz. She writes most of the chapters of this awesome story and edits the ones I write! :P**

**And due to this special day, each of us decided to write one chapter, which means we have the chapter 35 written already! That will come out on Monday...maybe exactly at midnight! hehe...**

**So happy birthday Kessy!!! xoxo**

**You guys read and enjoy and REVIEW! 3**

**Disclaimer: We don't own any piece of this cake....(what?)**

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* * *

Previously:_

_"Gabriella Montez… I am actually proposing to you right now…"_

_"Well, I actually came to ask if Troy was available for a lead role in my upcoming movie that I am producing."_

_"The truth was, he was looking for challenge and that challenge was taking Gabriella away from you."_

* * *

**Chapter 34**

"Taylor, just get to the point." Gabriella snapped at her best friend. Frankly, she didn't have any patience today and Taylor, coming in and rambling about nothing for two hours straight, even though she clearly had a goal set, wasn't helping at all. "Why did you come?" she added, irritated and Taylor frowned at her.

"Can't one just come and visit her friend without having a particular thing in her mind?" she asked in a voice that almost made Gabriella feel bad for snapping at her. Almost.

"In your case? No." Gabriella answered with a smirk when she saw Taylor looking down.

"I mean, it's not like I have a purpose and all it's just that…"

"Taylor." Gabriella warned her sourly. She really wasn't in a mood to deal with people right now.

"The truth is I came to ask you to invest…or-or lend some money into the business I am planning on starting with Chad soon." Taylor said quickly and closed her eyes tightly waiting for her best friend's reaction.

"What?!?!" the outburst she expected came out from Gabriella and if this situation wasn't so scary, she would actually laugh at the fact that she knew her best friend so well.

"I-I mean…in the area where Chad and I live, as you may know, is only one DVD rental shop and I thought…well, we thought that it would be good to open another one…" Taylor tried to explain as best as she could while she felt the murdering glare on her coming from the direction of her friend.

"Are you crazy?" Gabriella asked with wide eyes. "Do I look like I have money one me that I could just carelessly throw out of the window? Invest my ass, and lending? Please Tay, don't make me laugh! Lending something to you would be like giving money to you, I would never see that amount again in my life!"

"Gabi…" Taylor looked at her with pleading eyes and Gabriella's face immediately softened. Well, she wasn't her best friend for nothing right?

"Really Tay, even if I wanted to help you out, I can't! I simply don't have any money!" Gabriella shook her head and looked at Taylor sadly.

"Well, why don't you ask Ryan to give you some money then? He is, after all, like a lost puppy that always follows you around. He would do anything for you. Why don't you tell him to give you money to spend?" Taylor suggested and Gabriella's mouth dropped open. "Don't look at me like that girl. You know I am right! He is like your golden ticket. With him as you bank account, you could live your life without lifting a finger." She added with a satisfied nod.

"Don't talk about him like that." Gabriella snapped at her for a second time that day. She might have been her best friend but sometimes Gabriella just wanted to kill her.

"Why not? You know I am right. He is like you meal ticket to the rich banquet." Taylor smirked and nodded her head again.

"He is not that kind of a person ok? Don't say stuff like that about him. It's not nice. Besides, he is just a friend, how could I ask for money from a random man?" the petite brunette tried to get the point across to her friend.

"Again, why not? I mean, now that Troy is a washed up failure…" Taylor began and shook her head disapprovingly.

"Don't even finish that sentence!" Gabriella hissed out warningly. "Troy is going to be fine in no time! He is a strong person." She had the urge to hit Taylor. But then again, she also had the urge to run and find Troy and kiss him senseless and tell him she loved him so much, it hurt her physically to be apart from him however, she didn't act on neither one of her urges.

"Oh yea? Then why is he somewhere in Arizona, wasting his days playing some oldies game and not coming home at all costs?" Taylor asked triumphantly, finally telling Gabriella about Troy's whereabouts. But as soon as she realized what she said, she gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Gabriella said quietly, shock evident in her voice even though she felt much lighter now that she knew where he was.

"Uhm…" Taylor wanted desperately to change the subject and make Gabriella forget completely about what she was about to say.

"Taylor" Gabriella said in a pleading tone even though it came out more threateningly.

"Well, yea… he is refusing to come back. He didn't even come when his Grandmother fell sick and was hospitalized." Taylor decided to come out clean.

"Grandma is sick?" was all Gabriella managed to squeak out due to her throat suddenly becoming very tight.

"Apparently she fell sick when she found out about the whole marriage thing and it got worse when they told her he left the state." Taylor shrugged.

"Is she still in the hospital?" Gabriella asked and completely ignoring Taylor, she started to frantically search for her purse and keys.

"I believe so. But why…" Taylor wanted to ask but she got cut off with the front door slamming shut.

* * *

"What room is Elizabeth Bolton in?" Gabriella asked the receptionist at the hospital without any greeting or politeness what so ever.

"I'm sorry miss but who are you?" the woman at the desk asked, seizing Gabriella up and down distastefully.

"I am her grand-daughter-in-law. Now what room is she in?" Gabriella pressed harder and didn't even bother to thank the woman when she was given the piece of information. Running immediately to the elevator, she impatiently waited for it to take her up to the third floor. As soon as she got there, Gabriella sprinted towards the room, looking for the right number and barged in as soon as she found the right room.

There, quietly lay Elizabeth Bolton, sleeping. It almost broke Gabriella's heart when she saw all the IV's sticking out of the old woman's arm. She looked so vulnerable and all the signs of her fiery character were gone. Gabriella immediately rushed to her side and took her hand in her own.

"Grandma…" Gabriella said softly. "I am truly sorry, I was wrong" she sobbed quietly while holding the old woman's hand tightly. "Grandma please, I know I was wrong and I am so so so sorry. Please wake up Grandma." She cried harder and lowered her head. Unnoticed by her, Jack Bolton was standing right at the door, but quietly left without even talking to her or giving her any indication of his presence.

"Why did you come here?" Gabriella's head snapped up at the old, tired and weak voice. Elizabeth Bolton slowly opened her eyes and took her hand back.

"Grandmother!" Gabriella called out happily but Elizabeth just frowned at her.

"Don't call me that. I am not your grandma." She said harshly and ignored the broken girl's tears.

"I am really sorry, I didn't mean to hurt anyone!" Gabriella cried out and covered her mouth.

"Because of you, Troy and his father may never speak a word to each other again." Grandmother said which made Gabriella cry even harder than before.

"I know but nothing is Troy's fault. He did nothing wrong! It's all my fault." Gabriella tried to explain the situation to the old woman but her tears kept her away from being able to say another word.

"Stop with you crying already! It's annoying me." Elizabeth said with an annoyed tone.

"I-I am trying to but they keep coming out!" Gabriella complained while talking deep breaths to calm herself down and stop the tears.

"Alright." Grandmother sighed with annoyance. "I will forgive you if you can reconcile Troy and his father." Gabriella broke into a big smile and engulfed the old lady in her arms. "Great great…now get out of here, this old lady needs some rest or she will get a heart attack." She patted Gabriella's back and pushed her away.

"Thank you grandma." Gabriella said and bit her lip to stop herself crying out of joy and instead of a response, Elizabeth just waved her hand in a motion for Gabriella to get out of the room.

* * *

If Sharpay Henney was ever surprised, nothing ever matched what she experienced just an hour ago. Even thinking about it while stirring her Apple Martini seemed as if it wasn't possible. She was just closing up her store when her phone rang and when she saw the caller ID, she almost dropped her phone. It was no one else but Gabriella Bolton herself. And yes, she did use the Bolton name because she had long ago accepted that fact and this was just a proof that she had moved on from hating Gabriella. Well, not entirely but almost there.

She almost fell down the stairs when she heard Gabriella's voice asking her if she "fancied getting a drink somewhere". That was very unexpected and instead of answering, Sharpay was too busy having her mouth on the floor so she nodded until she realized Gabriella couldn't see her so she quickly regained her composure and answered properly.

"_Great! I am looking forward to it then! Meet me at Ete's in an hour?" _ was the woman's respond on the other end to which Sharpay, once again agreed. And now, even though the said person was sitting right opposite of her on the high metal seats she still couldn't believe it. And even though they were only separated by a small round, black table, Sharpay still couldn't believe Gabriella was actually sitting right opposite of her sipping her own cocktail and enjoying the surroundings.

"So how are you?" Gabriella asked with a tone that would make it seem as if they were friends forever and they knew each other very well.

"I am fine thanks." Sharpay said with a nod.

"That's good, that's good." Gabriella agreed and both of them fell into a silence again.

"Uhm…Gabriella?" Sharpay hesitated a bit but when she was urged on by Gabriella's soft smile she cleared her throat. "Don't take this the wrong way or something but why exactly did you call me here?" She asked the question that was bugging her since the phone call.

"Well…to be frank," Gabriella looked pointedly at Sharpay "I actually wanted to ask you to call Troy and tell him to come back." Which made Sharpay choke on her drink slightly.

"What?" she asked surprised. This was the second time in the evening that this woman surprised her. There was a lot of Gabriella Bolton that Sharpay didn't know about and she found herself kind of wanting to try and get to know this woman that her best friend fell for.

"Please talk some sense into him. Tell him to stop being foolish and come back home." Gabriella pleaded, hope clearly visible in her eyes.

"But would he listen to me?" Sharpay contemplated aloud but then she shook her head. "Why me? I think you should do it, no?" she asked curiously and studied the girl in front of her that slightly flinched at the very suggestion.

"I-I can't." Gabriella looked down at her drink sadly.

"None sense! Of course you can! I don't see why not!" Sharpay said loudly with as much encouragement as she could muster up.

"No, you don't understand…I can't see him anymore." Gabriella whispered and Sharpay barely heard her.

"But why?" she asked confused while all the possible reasons ran through her mind.

"I've….I've…" Gabriella began but then stopped herself. "All the things that happened to Troy…all of it is my fault. I caused so much pain to Troy and I ruined so much already…" Gabriella answered with a lone tear running down her cheek.

* * *

Where could she be? Bedroom? No, he checked there and she wasn't in there. Not the kitchen either or the living room. Actually he had checked ever single crevice of the house but he couldn't find her and even though he called out her name countless of times, he got no response back. He ran back and forth around the house and called her name so much yet, there was no one to answer him.

Running his hand through his hair anxiously, Troy looked around the drive way before he dropped his head down and walked slowly to the front porch and sat down on the steps. Turning his wedding ring while thinking, Troy thought back to the moment Chad told him the news about Ryan and Gabriella. Yes, he had sat for a while and thought about everything until _'Sorry seems the be the hardest word.' _By Elton John came on and he suddenly knew what he was supposed to do.

Hell he was going to take care of Ryan later and he was going to enjoy it, but at the moment, all he could think about was Gabriella and making sure she was ok. Oh what would he give if he could just see her and… Suddenly, Troy could see a cab pulling up right before the house and a certain female black silhouette getting out of it. The way she walked, the way her head hung down in sadness and the way her curls cascaded down, it was all familiar to Troy and all he could think about were Elton John's words in that one particular song _"what do I do to make you happy…" _He wanted to run to her, to scoop her up into his arms, to kiss her like there is no tomorrow, to take her up into his room and show her just how much she means to him and just how much he had missed her. Instead, he cleared his throat, making the person walking towards the front door stop dead in tracks and look up.

As soon as she saw him, Gabriella broke down into tears. Still staring at him, her hand covered her mouth while she cried hard. Her knees seemed to give up on her so she slid down onto the ground. Troy immediately rushed to her and took her into his arms.

"Shhhh, please don't cry." He whispered softly, while carrying her into the house. Placing her onto the sofa and turning on the lights. By the time Troy let go of her, Gabriella has already calmed down and just stared at him.

"What?" Troy asked loudly while looking at her. She seemed to have lost few pounds and she had huge bags under her eyes. Overall, she seemed very tired, weak and vulnerable and he didn't like it.

"Why did you come back?" Gabriella asked suddenly. Was it possible that Sharpay worked so fast? But that's impossible! She just left Sharpay about half an hour ago and it should take way longer to get to California from Arizona!

Instead of answering, Troy looked around the room properly for the first time. A thick layer of dust was covering the staircase and he could easily see his footprints there when he went up the stairs to find Gabriella. Looking to the other side, he noticed that their wedding picture was take down from it's spot on the wall in the room and instead, replaced by some kind of a painting that just looked like the artist hand dipped his paintbrush into a random color and flicked his wrist causing the paint to splash onto the canvas. Looking back at Gabriella in annoyance, Troy was even more irritated when he noticed her left ring finger empty, no signs of her being married whatsoever.

"You should go and clean up the house! It looks like a pig lives here." Troy said, irritation laced in his voice.

"Do you really mean it, or is it just you way of telling me that I am fat?" Gabriella raised one eyebrow and looked at him.

"Seriously, go and clean the house, I can't stand that dust everywhere!" he answered with disgust shown on his face.

"Now?" Gabriella asked surprised.

"No, when Sandra Bullock forgives Jesse James." Troy answered with heavy sarcasm. Instead of obeying, Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"When did you arrive?" Gabriella asked instead.

"Just a while ago." Troy waved his hand as if to dismiss the topic. "How come a sick person like you can go out like that?" he asked her, changing the topic.

"What are you talking about?" Gabriella asked, confused.

"No need to pretend. I know, are you all right now?" Troy shook his head and looked at her with worry.

"What?" Gabriella asked, even more confused than before.

"See, that's why I tried to get you to work out in the mornings. You stopped exercising didn't you?" Troy continued and shook his head disapprovingly.

"What the…" Gabriella began but then stopped herself. "I don't see how that's even important right now. Anyway, where were you all this time?" Gabriella asked instead.

"Scottsdale, Arizona." Troy sighed out in as if in contend and placed his hands behind his head and leaned back. "I played golf and basketball all the time. Had loads of time to think about things and even took up some meditation classes. Don't I look transformed? I've been at peace for a while and I think I've matured." He added proudly and turned to look at her. Gabriella just stared at him with a slightly opened mouth.

"So anyway," she quickly snapped out of her trance. "Why didn't you visit Grandma?" she asked and Troy just looked at her annoyed.

"Because it was just a ploy to get me to come back from Arizona." He answered dryly but Gabriella shook her head.

"Can you please go and apologize to you father?" she pleaded and touch his arm. Ignoring the tingling sensation on his skin, Troy took her hand from his arm and held it in his own pair.

"I am most definitely not going to do that. Don't worry about it." Troy answered in an almost joking reassuring tone.

"So why did you come here for?" Gabriella decided to drop the subject for the moment and focus on her unanswered question.

"This is my house." Troy shrugged as if it was no big deal. "I am going to stay here from now on." He added and put his feet up on the clear glass coffee table.

"Oh no you won't!" Gabriella shook her head and called out with a tone that indicated it was the most absurd think she ever heard in her life.

"What?" Troy asked in shock while Gabriella pushed him, causing him to stand up.

"You heard me right. You are not staying here. This is my house not yours!" she said loudly while pushing him out towards the front door.

"You can't be serious!" Troy said in shock.

"Oh yea? Then what's this?" Gabriella opened the front door and motioned for with her hand for him to get out of the house. Memories from a very long time ago flooded her mind when they were in this exact situation except for the fact that it was Him throwing Her about of the house. When Troy made now move to leave, Gabriella walked up to him impatiently and pushed him out of the door.

"You are a jerk!" Troy yelled out at her, the memory from before also coming into his head but instead of an answer, Gabriella slammed the door shut in his face, his nose barely few millimeters away from the wooden thing.

Deciding she was being serious, Troy sighed and started walking out of the driveway. Few meters away from the house, he came to the exact bench that Gabriella camped out in and sat down on it. This was going to be a long night.

_

* * *

Don't give into your curiosity Gabriella. You kicked him out of the house, it's done and over with, he deserved it and now you should go up and get a good night's sleep! _Gabriella kept telling herself over and over again in her head but twice before, she already gave in to her stupid curiosity and looked out of the window.

The first time he was walking out of her driveway and Gabriella almost ran out after him. The second time she looked out, she was surprised to see him sitting on the bench, legs crossed in the Indian style, meditating. Now, for the third time, she was dying to see what he was doing out there, if he was even still out there.

Sighing in defeat, Gabriella drew her curtain and looked out towards the bench, however, she didn't see him there anymore and gasped. Running out of the house, she looked again but the bench was empty. Looking around, Gabriella frantically ran around calling out his name. Where could he be? What if something happened to him? What if he got kidnapped by some cruel people? Running around the area again, Gabriella called out his name constantly, looking for a sigh of the man she so badly wanted to hug and kiss.

Unbeknown to her, a pair of electrifying blue eyes were looking at her desperately looking for him, the beautiful orbs swimming in tears.

**

* * *

A/N: So that's it for right now...don't forget to REVIEW and check in for a new chapter on Monday! Plus we want to say that there are only 3 chapters left of this story and then we are going to start a new one! Hope you guys will watch out for that one too! xoxo**


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: Hey guys! Yup...so it's few hours earlier than we said but we cudn't wait to post it! :P THANKS for your b-day wishes! They really meant a lot hahaha... **

**So, some of you (or one of you) complained that their arguments are stupid and childish and so very so you know, even adults can get VERY childish at times and this IS a fiction after all right? hehehe but thanks for your opinion! And if u r still reading, then this chapter is gonna be even MORE stupid and childish...that's just how they are.**

**So, guys...ENJOY and REVIEW yea? ;)**

**Disclaimer: We own as much as AIG bank rite now...nothing!**

_

* * *

Previously:_

_"Troy is a washed up failure…"_

_I will forgive you if you can reconcile Troy and his father."_

_"I can't see him anymore. All the things that happened to Troy…all of it is my fault._

* * *

**Chapter 35**

"Seriously, such a jerk. Leaving without saying goodbye. What kind of a person does that?" Gabriella mumbled to herself annoyed while closing the front door after her and locking it. She was out there for maybe less then an hour looking for him, but when she was certain that she wouldn't be able to find anything, she just gave up and went back inside her house.

Maybe she shouldn't have kicked him out of the house. Gabriella suddenly started to regret her decision. What if he got sick out there? He could easily catch pneumonia and so many things could have happened to him. Why didn't was she so stupid and didn't think about it before?

She slowly climbed up her stairs but passed the door of her room completely, instead, heading to the room on the other end of the hall. Slowly opening it, his scent hit her once again and Gabriella felt much better. However, as soon as she turned on the light and looked up, she shrieked out in fright.

"What?!" Troy jumped out of the bed, alert and frantically looking around for a sign of something being wrong. Without a word, Gabriella just ran up to him and hugged him as tightly as she could. When Troy got over the shock, he smiled softly and wrapped his arms around her petite frame, returning the hug.

"How did you get in?" Gabriella asked when they sat down on his bed.

"Through the broken window at the back." Troy smile triumphantly. Gabriella didn't say anything for a while and took her hand to move a strand of his hair out of his eyes.

"But weren't you staying on the bench outside?" she asked softly.

"I was, until I decided to sleep there and became the main course of mosquitoes." Troy frowned, making Gabriella giggle. "Anyway, I see my room didn't change a bit." He said with a wide smile while looking around his room. The truth was, Gabriella didn't dare to move a thing in his room and she didn't want to because she wanted to keep as much as she could that reminded her of him. Thinking back about it made Gabriella's eyes fill up with tears and then finally overflow and run down her cheeks. Troy immediately noticed and brought her closer to him.

"Hey, hey! Are you alright? What's wrong? Is me sleeping in the room too exasperating for you? I'm sorry! I don't want the house back! I will just stay here until I find my own place. I promise!" He quickly said, thinking she hated him so much, she couldn't even stand seeing him in the house.

"N-no! Please don't do that!" she immediately objected but Troy shook his head confusedly.

"Then what is it?" he asked worried.

"Please…please just go and apologize to you father." She pleaded him and looked at him with tears in her eyes. How could Troy deny her anything when she was looking at him like that?

* * *

Was this a mistake? Was this the right thing to do? Troy contemplated on these questions while looking at his father. Why was he doing this again? Oh…yea, because Gabriella asked him to do so. It was the stupid tears in her eyes that made him crack and agree. Women and their tears! They were made for persuading men to do whatever was asked of them. Clearing his throat, Troy decided to start so he could get this done and over with as soon as possible.

"So, uhm, dad" Troy began, thinking it was quite uncomfortable for him to call his father 'dad'. "I called you here to apologize. You were right and I am in the wrong. So I am here to ask you for your forgiveness." Troy said and took a sip of his coffee nervously.

"Are you really sorry?" Jack Bolton looked at his only son suspiciously. He knew Troy better than that and he knew that the Troy he knew would never openly apologize and admit defeat.

"Actually," Troy sighed and decided to come clean "Brie asked me to beg you for forgiveness." He said, his tone clearly indicating that if it wasn't for her, he wouldn't be sitting here and Jack nodded and chuckled in satisfaction. He knew it was too good to be true.

"Do you really love her?" his father asked when they were standing in front of the coffee shop about to part and took Troy's silence as an answer. "You should have just married her for real." He patted his shoulder.

"At that time I didn't know I love her so much." Troy mumbled while looking down.

"What are you doing to do next?" his father asked him and Troy paused to think about it for a minute.

"I am going to marry her." Troy said and looked up at his father. "I don't want to loose her again." He added more confidently and without another word to his father crossed the street heading for the shop that had a big _'Tiffany's' _sign.

* * *

"Chad is bringing all my clothes back this afternoon." Troy informed her when they were sitting in the living room, Troy on the laptop and Gabriella messing around with Troy's iPad. "Don't break it!" he warned her irritated.

"Hah, as if." Gabriella chuckled and finally put it down onto the coffee table and looked at him. "There, happy?" she asked sarcastically.

"Very." Troy answered, earning an eye roll from her. "I apologized to my father today as you wanted." He said carefully.

"Really?" Gabriella perked up with interest. "How did that go?"

"Well…" he started slowly and smirked inwardly. If he went through so much trouble, why wont he have a little fun? "It went quite well but he hit me again." He said with a small voice, pretending to be hurt.

"Are you serious?!" Gabriella gasped out and ran over to him. "Are you alright? Where are you hurt?" she asked frantically, looking for any form of bruises.

"I will be fine" Troy whispered and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"Oh Troy, I am so sorry! It's all my fault and you got hurt because of me again." Gabriella sobbed.

"No, no, it's definitely not because of you! Don't think that for even a second!" Troy quickly disagreed.

"Is there something I can do to make it better?" Gabriella asked while touching his cheek softly and Troy gulped, thinking back to the last time she said something like that.

"Uhm…" he really wanted to kiss her again but then the small bulge in his pocket reminded him that he had to do something. "Will you go out for dinner with me? I need to ask you something." He said quietly and Gabriella pulled back slightly because she didn't realize she was so close to his face few moments ago.

"Oh." She had to mask her disappointment, she did want to kiss him and she thought he wanted to kiss her too but apparently she was wrong. "I don't think we should since you are not popular anymore, you should start being prudent so whatever it is that you want to say or ask, just do it now." She said with a slight annoyance which went unnoticed by Troy.

"Well…ok…" Troy hesitated a bit and cleared his throat. "Gabriella, will you…" he didn't even get to finish his sentence when Gabriella's phone rang.

"Shit. Sorry!" she apologized quickly and reached for her phone on the coffee table. Before she could stand up and answer the phone, Troy caught a glimpse of the caller ID and what he saw broke his heart into pieces.

_Ryan Evans_

He didn't know what to feel. Didn't Ryan leave her? What was he still doing, calling her? There were millions of questions running in Troy's head and every time he thought about them being together again, the hole in his check became bigger and bigger. When Gabriella walked back into the room, Troy tried to look indifferent but if you looked closer, you could see the pain on his face like a scar, and you could see the eyes, once so clear beautiful blue, turn dull grey.

"Ryan is on his way here." Gabriella announced and sat down next to him.

"You," Troy swallowed the lump in his throat "you still go out with him?" he managed to ask, every word stabbing him like a knife.

"That's right, I am. Why?" Gabriella nodded and looked at him as if challenging him to do something about it. If Gabriella had listened carefully and looked past her own pain, she would have heard Troy breaking, she would have seen the scars he had and most importantly, she would have seen the eyes pleading her to love him.

* * *

Spaghetti! Troy scoffed. What kind of a food is that? He mentally cursed the guy that was currently standing in his kitchen. When Ryan came, he was very surprised to find Troy there and even though he tried to hide it, Troy could still see his displeasure about it. As soon as he arrived, he announced that he was going to make spaghetti for everyone since it's Gabriella's favorite dish.

_Favorite dish my ass _Troy smirked again and looked at Ryan showing off his cooking skills in front of Gabriella. She might like spaghetti but it was so not her favorite dish. Even Troy knew that and he almost laughed. Above all the food, she loved Mac and Cheese the most and then came peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

"Troy, do you want some too?" Ryan turned around to look at him while Gabriella secretly took the spoon and tasted the sauce.

'_And die from food poisoning? No thank you' _was what Troy wanted to say but instead he put on a polite smile and shook his head. "Nah, I don't feel like spaghetti today."

"All righty then!" Ryan said happily and turned back around just in time to catch Gabriella eating the sauce from the pan. "Hey!" he called out and took the spoon away from her while Gabriella giggle and Troy felt like puking.

"Gabriella!" Troy growled out. "I want to eat wild rice. Make me some wild rice." He ordered her and Gabriella glared at him.

"We have no ingredients for wild rice here. Why don't you just eat spaghetti?" she asked him in annoyance.

"I don't like spaghetti!" Troy pouted and crossed his arms sulking.

"Well then you are going to starve." Gabriella shrugged her shoulders as if she didn't care.

"What?" Troy asked in a small voice with wide eyes. Gabriella looked at him and could help but laugh at his expression that looked like a child that found out Santa wasn't going to come this year, or the next, or the next…

"Fine." Gabriella said with a small laugh. "is Mac and cheese good enough?" she asked him and opened the cupboards to get the needed things out.

"That's perfect." Troy smiled and winked at her, causing Gabriella to blush and Ryan to frown.

"So Troy, as I told Harry already, I am producing a movie and I would like to offer you the lead role." Ryan said when all three sat down to eat. Troy having his mac and cheese and Gabriella and Ryan their spaghetti.

"Absolutely not." Troy answered immediately without seeming to be fazed by the very idea that Ryan was offering him his ticket back to the Tinsel Town.

"Why not?" Gabriella asked slightly offended.

"Because I said so." Troy just cut her off like that and continued chewing his food.

"What is that supposed to mean? Too afraid to take on an acting role?" Gabriella challenged him and Troy put his fork down. Oh the challenge was on!

"No, I just think the script is stupid." Troy smirked and Gabriella stabbed her meatball with a lot of force, clearly proving his theory that the script was hers.

"How can you say that if you didn't even read it?" Gabriella asked annoyed.

"Easy, how can a chicken write a good script?" Troy said with a small chuckle causing Gabriella to stab another meatball angrily while imagining that it was Troy's body she just pierced through.

"I just think you are too afraid. I mean, I hear ya. Clearly, Chad Dylan Cooper would get it anyway when they see how miserable your acting skills are." Gabriella announced with a shrug, mocking him. This time it was Troy's turn to be angry.

"What did you say?" he growled out.

"You heard me right. I think the role is too good for you anyway. The leading guy there is supposed to be handsome and smart and funny so you are right, it doesn't fit you." Gabriella smirked at him.

"You really annoy me!" Troy shot at her.

"Your face really annoys me!" Gabriella shot back at him right away.

"Why don't you get indigestion?"

"Why don't you get a brain?"

"I will as soon as you get a plastic surgery!"

"Why don't you give me the number then, since you already had one!" The taunting went back and forth throughout the whole dinner and Ryan couldn't do anything but sit and eat his dinner quietly while listening to the two insulting each other.

* * *

"I will help you find an apartment so you can move out as soon as possible, perhaps, this weekend." Ryan told Troy later on in the evening while Gabriella went to the bathroom.

"And why would you do that?" Troy looked at the man sitting opposite of him with a raised eyebrow.

"It's just that you staying with my woman makes me uncomfortable." Ryan said and Troy had to breath in and out slowly with a clenched jaw to keep himself from punching the living lights out of Ryan.

"Who says she is you woman?" Troy hissed out.

"Actually, I proposed to Gabriella few days ago and we are kind of going out. So that makes her my woman more than yours." Ryan smirked when he noticed Troy's fist clenching angrily.

"Oh, I see." Troy said, half surprised and half angry. He sure wasn't expecting this and the pain that came with it was almost unbearable. He couldn't believe Gabriella didn't tell him about this and he was also dreading the answer that Gabriella gave Ryan about his proposal, his own proposal ring burning in his pocket.

"I told her that she could finally come to me." Ryan nodded, content.

"What did she say?" Troy choked out through his closed up throat.

"It hasn't been long since the divorce so she is waiting and thinking about it." Ryan said with a slight frown, disliking the idea. Troy felt a lot better that she still didn't give him a definite answer but couldn't help but expect the worst. "Troy," Ryan turned to him "if you have let her go then just leave. With you back, do you want her to go through what she did before? When you let her go, she can finally be able to come to me and be at peace." He tried to reason with Troy who, again had a very strong urge to punch this guy and break his damn nose.

* * *

"See you tomorrow?" Ryan turned to her and smiled softly.

"Sure." Gabriella nodded with a smile while holding the front door open. Ryan leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek to which Gabriella just blushed and looked down.

"Bye." Ryan waved slightly and walked down the driveway to his car. Breathing out heavily, Gabriella closed the door and walked back inside the kitchen, only to see the light outside on the patio turned on. Curious, Gabriella slid the door open and stepped outside into the nice windy night. Glancing to her left, Gabriella saw Troy sitting on the wooden bench they had there, gazing out into the night ocean which was barely visible and the sound of waves crashing was harmonizing with the singing wind.

"What are you doing out here?" Gabriella asked softly when she walked over to him. Sitting down next to him, Gabriella looked at him and waited patiently for her answer.

"Just thinking I guess." Troy said with a shrug and took a swig out of his beer bottle. Leaning down, he took out another one and offered it to Gabriella who took it gratefully. Both of them took a big gulp and gazed out into the horizon where the ocean and the sky seemed to be one.

"Did you really apologize to your father?" Gabriella asked when she came back from inside carrying another box containing 6 cold beers.

"Yup." Troy popped his lips and played with the sticker that was peeling off from the bottle because of all the wetness.

"Maybe we should go over to the house tomorrow. You know, to thank them, eat lunch, and sing the Tea pot song…." Gabriella suggested and giggled at the last one.

"May I remind you that we are no longer together, therefore they are no longer your family." Troy said harshly and Gabriella could help but feel her eyes water up at that. Why was he so mean? "Anyway, I am leaving tomorrow. You are getting married to Ryan I heard." He continued and Gabriella gasped with surprise. How did he find out? "I thought Ryan abandoned you. Do you know how worried I was?" Troy asked with a louder voice, not daring to look at her, so he just looked up the sky and stared at the stars. Gabriella bit her lip strongly from crying out and shut her eyes. "Ryan is rich, talented and handsome…I don't even understand how can he even like someone as stubborn and as messy as you." Troy chuckled dryly with no traces of humor whatsoever. "But don't worry, I know you will do well." He nodded his head and with a last swig finished off his bottle, stood up and without another word or a glance at Gabriella walked back inside the house.

* * *

"How can he do the same thing again?" Gabriella yelled out exasperated while digging her spoon into her favorite Very Berry ice-cream. When Gabriella walked down into the kitchen earlier that day in the morning, she found a whole new note on the fridge.

_Don't be sick and be happy. Why does a chicken sleep so much? Be sure to exercise in the mornings. Troy_

She couldn't believe her eyes, he was pulling the same trick again? And sure enough, when she ran up to his room, it was empty and the bed was neatly made as if no one slept it in, the only trace of him ever being there was the smell of his Axe. This was seriously annoying her and she didn't know what to do, at the exact same time, Ryan called her and asked her if she wanted to go out for ice-cream so she agreed in order to get some fresh air and clear her head. However, as soon as she sat down, she couldn't help but tell Ryan the whole story and complain to him that Troy did the leaving with a note on the fridge again.

"Seriously! I can't even believe it! He is such a jerk!" Gabriella exclaimed with a full mouth of her ice-cream. Lord knows other people would get a brain freeze but no, not Gabriella Montez/ Bolton!

"I think it's better this way, at least now you don't have to delay answering me because of his influence." Ryan said with a smile but Gabriella frowned. She completely forgot about that but she still couldn't decide. Somewhere, in the back of her head, she knew the answer but she just didn't want to give it. But looking at Ryan like this, remembering her conversation with Troy the other night, she sighed and pushed away her ice cream.

"Ryan, listen." She began and looked him in the eye.

"What is it?" he asked while wiping his mouth with a small tissue. Closing her eyes, she contemplated or others would say listened to her heart, thinking back about her feelings and emotions. "Gabi?" Ryan called her, unsure.

"You see, when Troy isn't around, I am always waiting for him. Even hen I know he is not coming, I'm still waiting. I mean, when I do see him, its not even that great. But when he's not by my side, it doesn't feel right. I shouldn't wait. It takes up so much of my feelings…" she said but didn't dare to look at Ryan.

"What are you saying?" Ryan asked, barely audible.

"What I am saying is that, that's why you shouldn't wait for me anymore…I'm sorry." She explained and stood up, leaving without another glance back.

* * *

So she did it, she took care of one of the dramas in her life but she didn't know if what she did was the right choice. She was sure it was the right thing to do though. Now she had to face more drama, which was way bigger than the one she just ended. How long will it take? She didn't know.

Walking up her driveway, Gabriella unlocked her front door and went inside her house. Suddenly, she heard the fridge in the kitchen open and someone shuffling around. Cautiously, she tip toed towards the kitchen and peered inside. Was it a bugler? What if he killer her? However, as soon as she looked at the person, she gasped and stepped into the room.

"What are you doing here?" she asked and then person jumped up in surprise.

"Uhm, I forgot some things?" Troy turned around and stated more like a question. Gabriella was unsure what to do. On one hand, she wanted to run to him but on the other, she wanted to slap him face for leaving yet another stupid farewell note and then coming back like this. "Besides, I forgot to say something and give you something." He added after a slight hesitation.

"Ok…" she nodded and motioned him to come over to the living room. Both of them sitting down, Gabriella urged him to say what he wanted to say. Troy breathed in and closed his eyes, praying for courage.

"I-I…Remember hen I said I wouldn't loose you again? I-I feel like I am on the verge of loosing you right no and I can't take it anymore." He began and Gabriella just sat frozen in her place. "You say I am the man who always hurts you, the man who cant protect you. You say I don't know how to love someone. I don't know how to express it and making you happy…well I don't know how to do that either. So I thought about it…Since I don't know how, then whatever you order me to do, whatever you teach me, I will do it all. If you tell me to wait, I will wait. If you tell me to sing, I will sing. If you tell me to dance, I will dance. If you ask me for flowers, I will buy you flowers." Troy took a deep breath. "I'll do anything you ask. I'll do anything you want…" he looked at Gabriella who was still staring at him in shock. Taking a small box out of his pocket, Troy got down from the couch and on his one knee. "So Gabriella Bolton, Brie," he opened the box, revealing a silver ring with my small diamonds around the band and one biggest one in the middle. "wear this." He finished, looking up at her, Troy anxiously waited for her answer.

"What-what is this?" Gabriella asked with tears threatening to fall from her eyes.

"Can't you see? It's a ring." Troy said and earned a smack across the head from her.

"I know that you dumb ass, I meant what are you doing." Gabriella said and rolled her eyes.

"Gabriella Bolton…let's get married." Troy breathed out and Gabriella's tears spilled out of her eyes immediately.

"Troy…" she sobbed out.

"Will you….will you marry me?"

**

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A/N: Love it? Hate it? REVIEW and tell us what the hell you think because this story is coming to an end! :P 2 more chapters!!! xoxo**


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: Hey! So this is the second last chapter! How sad is that??? Oh man! Sorry it's a bit short but that was the best part to cut it....hehehe..**

**Anyway, enjoy and REVIEW!!!!**

**Disclaimer: We do not consider anything in this story as a part of our property...because it's not!**

_

* * *

Previously:_

_"At that time I didn't know I love her so much."_

_"You shouldn't wait for me anymore…I'm sorry."_

_"Will you….will you marry me?"_

**

* * *

Chapter 36**

"Will you…marry me?" Troy asked, hope shining in his eyes. He held his breath while Gabriella just stared at the ring in front of her.

"Oh this is so weird!" Gabriella breathed out heavily and looked away.

"What do you mean?" Troy looked at her confused, still holding up the ring for her. Seriously, couldn't this girl just be straightforward and say yes…or no?

"You tell me to go and be happy with Ryan and you leave…and now you suddenly do this!" Gabriella exclaimed with frustration and pointed at the velvet box held out in front of her. "How can a guy be so fickle!?"

"I am not being fickle!" Troy tried to defend himself. "At that time, I thought letting you go like that would be the right thing to do." He said and then looked at her in annoyance. "Anyway, are you gonna take this or what?" instead of answering, Gabriella just glared at him. "I mean, are you going to marry me?" Troy quickly corrected himself. Gabriella looked at him and put a finger to her chin, pretending to think.

"Uhm…I will think about it." She decided and nodded.

"What the…" Troy breathed out but quickly stood up when he noticed Gabriella walking towards the kitchen.

"Want something to drink?" Gabriella asked him as she was peering into the fridge, as if nothing just happened, as if the guy she loved with all her heart didn't just propose to her for real.

"Did you refuse me because of Ryan?" Troy asked instead and clutched the ring box tightly.

"First of all, I didn't refuse you…yet." Gabriella smirked and pulled out two cokes. "And second of all, Ryan has nothing do to with this, we decided to be just friends." She revealed to him and Troy had to keep himself from jumping up and down squealing like a girl. To say he was happy was an understatement. He was ecstatic now that Ryan was out of the picture, he could do anything he wanted to win her over. Finally! Troy inwardly breathed out in relief.

"Then what is it? Am I not good enough?" he suddenly remembered and frowned. With Ryan not messing with them anymore, he didn't see any other reason as to why she wouldn't say yes immediately.

"No." Gabriella shook her head. "I have to give it some thought before I can actually answer you." She tried to show his her reasoning.

"So, when will you give me an answer?" Troy pried; he really wanted one as soon as possible…maybe…even this very moment would be perfect. Gabriella looked at him with a smirk.

"In a week." She said and turned around, trying not to laugh. She knew he was an impatient person so she was sure he would not be ok with a whole week.

"No way!" Troy yelled out with wide eyes. "That's way too long! Three days max!" he complained and Gabriella glared at him playfully.

* * *

"Brie?" Troy knocked on the door leading to Gabriella's bedroom softly, the next morning. "Brie, you awake?" he tried again when he got no answer the first time. Troy decided to wake up early and get Gabriella so they could both go and exercise together like he always wanted. They would run next to each other on the beach and then they would hold each other for support when they stretch. After that, they could sit down at some random diner and have breakfast. Even the mere thought of it made Troy smile and knock at Gabriella's door again.

However, when he didn't get any answer, Troy sighed and decided to give up. Walking down the stairs, he heard a light snoring coming out of the living room. Curious, he went inside, only to find that Gabriella fell asleep at the computer again. Walking over to the couch, Troy picked up the blanket and put it over her, making sure she was covered properly, before he reached over and turned off the computer. Glancing back for the last time, he turned around went out for his morning jog. Guess his plans weren't going to happen…

"What did you do?!?!" was the first thing Troy heard when he got back from exercising.

"Morning to you too. The jog was great thanks for asking!" Troy chuckled and went over to get some cold water.

"What the hell did you do!?" Gabriella looked at him accusingly.

"What are you talking about? I went out for a jog, that's all." Troy looked at her weirdly.

"You turned off my computer!" she exclaimed exasperated.

"Yea, you left it on the whole night. Electricity doesn't come free you know." Troy shrugged and went over to sit on the couch.

"..!" Gabriella said every word as a sentence before she exploded in anger.

"Oh yea…oops." Troy said and went back to reading the newspaper.

"Oops?" Gabriella gasped out. "Oops? Is that all you can give me? You lost my work and all you can say is 'oops'?!" she took a small book and threw it at him.

"Hey what the…" Troy yelped out when the object hit him in the head. "What's the big deal? If you were a good writer you wouldn't worry if you lost your work! Because it would all be in your head! I guess that says something about you!" he exclaimed.

"What?" Gabriella's eyes widened in surprise. How could he say that?

"Ahhh, such a chicken." Troy mumbled in annoyance but Gabriella still heard it.

"Why do you want to marry me then? Why do you like a chicken?" she asked, angry with the guy in front of her, who seemed to be completely indifferent about the fact that he lost the work she has been working on the whole previous night.

"Who says I am marrying you because I like you?" Troy snorted and folded his newspaper. "It's because I feel sorry for you. Who would want to marry a small, noisy and stupid person like you?"

"Uhh, there is always Ryan." Gabriella said slyly and smirked when she saw Troy flinch.

"Yea, good luck with that." Troy grunted which made Gabriella even angrier, she felt like throwing the while computer on his head.

"You know what? I will give you an answer right now!" she yelled out, referring to his proposal. "I don't think I can marry you." She breathed out and looked away.

"What?" Troy whispered out with wide eyes.

* * *

The tension was almost unbearable. Not to mention the awkwardness between them. Gosh, she couldn't even look at him, let alone live with him. When she was in the kitchen, Troy walked in. She was just closing the fridge, holding oranges when he wanted to get to the fridge to drink milk. Of course they would have to pass each other and so they did…or at least tried to. When he walked towards her, Gabriella didn't dare to look up. She just stared down or onto his chest which was her eye level anyway. He wanted to step to the right to let her pass but she did the same thing except she stepped to the left, thus colliding with him again. They both went to move again and it went like that for a while until Troy sighed and turned around to walk around the counter to get to the fridge so Gabriella had a free pass back into the living room.

Gosh she couldn't bear this. It was too much, and she simply couldn't imagine everyday being like this for the rest of their lives. Turning around, she made her way back to the kitchen.

"How long are you planning on staying here?" she asked. She had the right to, it was, after all, her house wasn't it?

"Uhm, well, I would like to stay until I find an apartment for myself." Troy looked down at the plastic bottle. "I am going to pay rent to you until then though." He offered.

"I don't need money." Gabriella shook her head and looked around. The room was once again messy and she inwardly groaned at the amount of cleaning she would have to do very, very soon. Looking back at Troy, she suddenly smirked. "Although…"

"What?" Troy asked, not liking her sly gaze at all. This girl was plotting and it scared him to death just thinking about what was going on in her head.

"I could use help around the house you know, do this, clean that…" she trailed off, biting her lip so she wouldn't crack up laughing. Look how the tables have turned.

"What?" Troy's eyes widened in shock. "You are asking me to be your maid?"

"Maybe…" she said in a sing songy voice. Troy closed his eyes and breathed out to keep himself from yelling at her. Him? THE Troy Bolton? A maid?

"Look, maybe you should re-consider my offer. I mean, if we get married, I promise not to make you clean anymore! I will hire a maid for the house!" He pleaded again. "Think about it Brie, you might regret it later."

"Regret?" Gabriella burst out laughing. "You know, I don't think I would regret anything, being married to you wasn't great anyway. It was all cleaning and fighting, nothing else." She said with a huff. Who did he think he was? Brad Pitt?

"No!" Troy objected. "There was…" he paused to think. "How about…" he stopped, finding that he couldn't come up with anything. Gabriella just raised an eyebrow as if to say _"I told you so." _

"Yes?" she urged him to come up with something.

"Anyway! The cleaning wouldn't be a problem anymore! I told you I will hire a maid!" Troy changed the subject after giving up on their argument.

"Troy," Gabriella's face suddenly became serious. "Please don't, let's just be friends." She touched his shoulder and walked out immediately.

Troy stood there motionless. He didn't know how to react on that, he knew that he went way past the friendship line and there was no returning for him. It was stupid from her to even consider offering him to be friends. He couldn't do that and he wouldn't. His face was full of determination when he decided.

There was no way he would be just friends with Gabriella, or his name wasn't Troy Alexander Bolton.

* * *

Every emperor needed an advisor to conquer the territory and expand his empire. Every historical character whatsoever had a helper that helped his name be in history textbooks. Hell, even Santa had his little helpers because without them, he wouldn't be able to deliver all the presents. So Troy, was allowed to have his own helpers right? Even if it was only for conquering a girls heart.

And who is better than the pair that knows her the most?

"So here is the last box." Chad informed him with a relieved sigh. For a man, Troy Bolton sure had a lot of clothes and Chad was the unfortunate person that got to pack and unpack all of Troy's belongings every time he decided to move, which was quite often these days.

"Just put them in my room. I won't be staying here for long anyway considering my plan didn't really got the way I wanted it too…" Troy instructed him and Chad groaned inwardly, this meant that he was going to have to carry these boxes around the town again and unpack everything and then eventually pack them again, only to pack them up few days later for Troy to move…again.

"So?" Troy asked Taylor that came into the house right behind Chad. Yes, Troy had to call Taylor and Chad for help and he wasn't proud of it. However, they were the only people in the world that knew Gabriella more than she knew herself and he planned to use it to his advantage. So after explaining and bargaining, they finally came to an agreement. They would help Troy get Gabriella back in exchange for some financial help so they would be able to set up some stupid video rental shop or something.

"Here." Taylor said with a chuckle and handed him an envelope.

"What's this?" he asked looking at the white object in his hands with confusion.

"Why don't you open it and see?" Taylor suggested, boys could be so thick and slow sometimes it was sad! Without another word, Troy tore the top open and took out few sheets of papers that were neatly folded to fit into the envelope. Reading the first one, his eyes brightened up and he quickly looked at the rest of the pages. The papers contained everything, Gabriella's dislikes, likes, weaknesses, some things she had said in the past, some things she had done in the past and more detailed information about her.

"She hates carrots?" he mumbled with interest. Wow, there were many things he didn't know about this girl and he couldn't wait to learn more about her. Turning his attention to the very last page of the whole "informational booklet", Troy's eyes widened when he realized what he was looking at.

"Oh yea, each of us wrote one when we were like 17 or something. She was pretty much the same back then." Taylor told him when she noticed what he was staring at so intently.

GABRIELLA MONTEZ'S GUIDE TO ROMANCE

**

* * *

A/N: Look out for the next chapter! THE LAST ONE! REVIEW...it mite come faster that way! :P xoxo**


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: Yes, this came very late but the reason for it was that we had finals this week! Now, we are free as birds and ready to update more! Except...this is the last chapter! sad isn't is?**

**As a treat, this chapter is super long....almost 5000 words yo! hehehe love ya!**

**We would like to thank all of you for sticking with us and reading the story. We are already in the midst of preparing a new one so hope you will check that one out. The summary is below and tell us WHAT YOU THINK? **

**Enjoy....and review... *sniff***

**Disclaimer: For the 37th, and last, time...we do not posses any of this!**

_

* * *

Previously:_

_"I don't think I can marry you."_

_"You are asking me to be your maid?"_

_"Please don't, let's just be friends."_

**

* * *

Chapter 37**

Ok, how was he going to do this? Maybe he could…no….or maybe he should…nah….how about….no! Troy couldn't decide what to do. He has had that stupid guide to romance for few days now and he was still deciding what to do. Why was this so complicated? The guide even had freaking steps and they were all numbered for goodness' sake!

So Phase 1: Dinner in a restaurant

"Hey…uhm…Gabriella?" Troy mentally slapped himself, great, now she is going to think you forgot her name momentarily. _Great start Bolton!_

"What?" Gabriella snapped at him. No, she wasn't angry at him, she was just cranky…blame it on PMS…gosh and the pain!

"Well…" Troy started and nervously rubbed the back of his neck.

"Spit it out Bolton! I don't have the whole day." Gabriella growled out and Troy took a step back. Boy, was this woman scary or what?

"Well, I was thinking we could go out for dinner tonight. You and I…like…together…what do you think?" Troy suggested nervously. Gabriella went to snap at him again. Did he really think she would want to go out when she was in pain? But then she stopped herself and thought about it. They haven't gone out for ages and she had this new dress she wanted to wear out and besides, it was a free meal right? Who was she to decline free food?

"Ok." She simply nodded and went upstairs to prepare.

"Ok…" Troy mumbled and followed her to go to his own room.

* * *

Right…so the dinner was a not as successful as he thought. It wasn't **his **fault! Well…maybe it was…but only a small part of it! Was it his fault that he was kind of jealous? And it was her fault anyway! If she didn't…in the first place, he wouldn't…gosh! Thinking back about it made his head spin.

Ok, so they went out to dinner. It was all good when they came, they got seated, there was no paparazzi to annoy them and the whole atmosphere was good. That was until they realized they had to carry a conversation until the waiter came back to get their orders and then another round of conversation until the food came.

So, they pretty much had nothing to talk about really. Or they did, but nothing came into their mind. Both of them knew that it was because this was like a date. That's what made it awkward and Troy wished labels would not exist at that moment! So annoying!

So he tried telling her a joke he heard the other day but before he could finish, she snapped at him, telling him she heard the joke before and it was not funny. Ok, that put him off a bit. But it was her who dropped the bomb on the night…see? It was not his fault!

"_You know, I like this restaurant." Gabriella looked around and smiled softly. _

"_Yea? Have you been here before?" Troy asked while taking a sip of his water. _

"_Yup, Ryan took me here before." She nodded and glanced at the pair at the table next to theirs. They were being all lovey dovey, touching each others' hand, whispering things to each other and giving each other secret smiles even thought it was only the two of them there. At that, Troy choked on his water and did his best not to spit it our right onto Gabriella's face. _

"_Are you alright?" Gabriella's head snapped back to him and she looked at him, concerned. _

"_Yea, I am fine." Troy nodded with an annoyed tone. She just had to drag Him into the conversation didn't she? "I don't really like this restaurant though. Let's leave." He said and called the waiter over to cancel their orders. _

"_What? Why?" Gabriella asked surprised. _

"_Because I don't like it here." Troy answered with a hint of anger. It was going fine until that moment! _

"_But Troy…" Gabriella wanted to protest but before she could say another word, Troy grabbed her hand and dragged her out of there. When they were in the car, she asked him where he wanted to go but he just told her he wasn't feeling so well and wanted to go home. So they did. _

See? It wasn't entirely his fault! It was that damn person that ruined his night! Sighing, he took out the stupid piece of paper and glanced at it. Stupid phase 1 went wrong, but that doesn't mean he was going to quit!

Phase 2: Show signs of affection in the littlest things.

Ok, that was easy enough right? Troy thought about what he could do. Suddenly he heard a noise in the kitchen. Gabriella was there, this was his chance. Troy cleared his throat and put the paper back into his pocket. Walking into the kitchen, Troy walked up to Gabriella and put a hand on her shoulder. Gabriella, jumped up in shock, not expecting the direct contact.

"Oops, sorry, I just wanted to get your attention." Troy chuckled nervously and retrieved his hand.

"Ever heard of calling people's names?" Gabriella asked rolling her eyes and walked around him to get some cereal.

"Wait!" Troy grabbed her by the waist and turned her around. Gabriella yelped out in shock and landed right in his arms, she could feel their bodies touching and she could not decipher why the heck was she feeling all hot and bothered.

"Yes?" Gabriella asked in a small voice, realizing just how close they were.

"Uhm…could you wash the bed sheets now? I think they are dirty…" Troy croaked out. His eye immediately shut tight and he released her. Oh GOD! Why was he such a dork? He couldn't even say one proper sentence! The laundry? What the heck was that?

"Ok…" Gabriella said unsure. Giving him a last look as if he was mentally disabled, she walked out into the den to get the laundry. This was not the normal laundry that you could just dump into the machine and press a button. No, this was washing the bed sheets, the special Bolton sheets that were custom made just for him. Twice as smooth, three times as soft. This meant that it all had to be washed by hand and she was the one doing it. Oh joy.

Turning on the water, Gabriella went up to her room and changed to a pair of short shorts. These sheets were huge, not only did she have to use her hands, but she also had to stomp on them too and there was no way she was doing that in skinny jeans! Running back down, Gabriella turned the water off and climbed into the oversized laundry bucket. This was loads of work but then again, it kind of felt like a work out so why not?

Suddenly, Troy was at her side, already pulling the legs of his trousers up.

"What are you doing?" Gabriella asked in shock. Troy Bolton? Helping?

"I am going to help you." Troy shrugged and began to get in.

"No, no, NO!" Gabriella tried to push him away.

"Why?"

"Because, this is my job and I want to do it!" Gabriella tried to argue lamely.

"And I want to help you." Troy pouted and got in.

"No, stop it!" Gabriella tried again, but Troy already started stomping.

"Hey this is fun!" Troy exclaimed, surprised and Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"Come on Troy, st- ouch!" Gabriella began to say but yelled out in pain in the end.

"What?" Troy stopped and asked her in concern.

"You…you stomped on my foot!" Gabriella yelled out in pain and glared at him.

"Oh gosh, I am so sorry!" Troy quickly apologized and got out of the tub-like bucket. Where did that woman buy this, he had no idea. "Here come on, hop onto my back, I will take you to the living room so we can look at it." He turned around and instead got a smack across his head.

"You idiot! There is no need for that. Just get out." Gabriella hissed out. Ok, so now her tummy hurt and her foot hurt. Great!

* * *

Right, so that didn't go very well either. But at least he got to hold her a bit right? And he offered her a piggy back ride to the living room which is a sign of affection…right? It's her fault for declining anyway. Looking at the paper again, Troy read carefully over the third step for the millionth time.

Phase 3: Surprise romantic proposal, confess your heart to her and…a hot kiss!

He sighed and mentally cursed. Why was this third step so hard? Not only the last part…although the last part would be pleasure for him too…but the whole phase! He already had trouble expressing his feelings! How was he going to do **that**? It was too late anyway, he had made all the phone calls and arranged what he needed and was driving around town to organize everything. Suddenly, realized he forgot something. Taking out his phone, Troy pressed the speed dial number 1 and waited for the other person to pick up.

"_Hello?" _Gabriella picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hey, it's me." Troy answered and carefully made a turn to the right with his car. He was super cautious about driving now since he has had made an illegal u-turn last week bumped into a car in an accident. Of course it was all over the news the next day.

"_There is something called the caller ID Troy. I know it's you."_ He could picture Gabriella rolling her eyes. "Anyway, is there something you need?"

"Yea, actually, will you meet me at Disneyland tonight at 8?" Troy asked her.

"_I don't have time for playing Troy. I have a lot of work to do."_ Gabriella sighed out.

"Come on! It's only one night!" Troy pleaded and pouted, even though she couldn't see him.

"_I don't know Troy…"_ she said.

"That's it. You are coming and end of discussion Gabriella Anne Bolton! I will be there waiting for you and you better show up…or you are dead!" Troy said with determination in his voice. Instead of an answer he was met by a dead line, meaning that she had hung up on him.

Troy smirked. So what that Disneyland doesn't close at 8? So what that he has made a few phone calls and magically made one part of the fun adventure park close down? He was Troy Bolton and he could make stuff like that happen. Besides, he was feeling kind and actually took only a small part of the huge complex. If he wanted, he could have had it all for himself…and Gabriella.

Now he just needed the plan to work out.

* * *

Gabriella glanced at the clock. _19.55 _

She didn't know what to do. She already told him that she had loads of work! And then he threatened her! What and idiot! How dare he say that and drag her middle name in as well? She didn't deserve the middle name treatment! Shaking her head to get rid of her thoughts, Gabriella focused back on the work in front of her.

* * *

"I'll make you happy…I've changed a lot…" No, that wouldn't do, Troy shook his head. He was currently standing at the ice-skating rink. Yes, the same ice-skating rink he took her to before. To say he was nervous was the biggest understatement in the history of understatements. He was so nervous that he would rather perform in that gay movie with Robert Pattinson than be right here.

Not only was it cold at the freaking **ice **skating rink, Gabriella was also late. To be exact, she was one hour and a fucking half late. To kill time, Troy had decided to practice his proposals and so far, it wasn't looking so good.

"Because of you…I've changed…" no, that wouldn't do either. Where was this girl anyway? Troy sighed, irritated. Seriously, one goes to such extent as to close down Disneyland for her, the least she could do was show up! "Such a chicken…" Troy mumbled but remembered and went back to practicing.

"My heart…Take it…" Troy was thinking when his phone rang. "What?" he answered without looking at the caller ID.

"_Where are you?"_ Gabriella asked and Troy looked at his watch. It was almost 10! He might have to buy her a watch soon.

"It doesn't matter anymore. It's too late now Gabi, just stay at home. We can do this some other time." Troy sighed and shook his head, looking around the empty place.

"_You dumbass, I am outside at the entrance."_ Gabriella said and Troy could clearly hear the smirk she, for sure, had plastered on her face.

"You know where to go Brie…" he said softly and hung up. This was it…this was the moment. Going over to the entrance of the ice skating rink, Troy looked out and waited. After a moment, he could see a small golf cart going towards him. Typical Gabriella, she was way too lazy to walk from the main gate to here. The place was quite big but she was mainly a lazy ass.

"Ok, I am here. What did you want to do." Gabriella hopped down and thanked the kind driver that had taken her there. Sure he was dressed as the rabbit from Alice in Wonderland but who cares right? This is Disneyland after all.

"Uhm…here, these are for you…" Troy handed her a bouquet of roses.

"Troy…" Gabriella gasped out in surprise and stared at the beautiful flowers.

"Let's go." He just answered and dragged her inside. Once inside, both of them put on their skates and went to the rink. They skated around in complete silence, both of them in their own world, although Troy was actually thinking about what he was supposed to say at some point tonight.

"Hey, I am sorry for getting here so late." Gabriella spoke up and turned around to face him while skating backwards. Yes, she was that good…however, Gabriella suddenly tripped at the uneven ice and started to fall backwards. Fully prepared for the fall, she shut her eyes tight but it never came. Instead she felt two strong arms wrap around her body and warmth immediately spread all over her. Opening her eyes, Gabriella's brown eyes met the electrifying blue of her savior. At that moment Troy knew it was time to spill the beans.

"Brie?" he whispered not breaking the eye contact he slowly pulled her up so they were both standing firmly on ice…or as firmly as you can stand on ice anyway. Instead of answering, Gabriella nodded her head.

"Will you…I…you…actually…" Troy struggled to get the sentence out. Inside, he was screaming and kicking himself for not just saying it right out. Taking he a deep breath, Troy opened his mouth to start over.

"Hey you!" a voice behind them yelled out and they both sprung apart like teenagers caught making out in the janitor's closet. Turning around, they saw a whole group of Disneyland's maintenance standing at the entrance.

"Yes?" Troy asked but had to clear his throat as he noticed his voice was barely above whisper.

"You need to get out of here. It's time for us to clean it." The man, obvious leade of the cleaners told them.

"But I have reserved it for the whole night…" Troy protested.

"I don't care. Get out!" the man shook his head and pointed behind him to the door.

* * *

Now, the Disneyland part went better than the others. They were happy and everything went well, except for the fact that they were thrown out of there and he didn't get the chance to propose. But he did everything else…wait…the kiss… ok, so half of it got done…that means he can still count it as complete right? 50% is good…

Thinking, Troy mentally went over the list. When he came home, he found out his paper was all ruined thanks to the stupid ice and his constant falling. The whole paper was soaked and he could barely read anything…although, he did remember the next step, but that's it.

Phase 4: Camping out in the night, looking at stars.

That was simple enough. Troy could easily arrange that. Before he could think anymore, he sneezed, causing Gabriella to look up from her laptop.

"Are you alright?" she asked, observing him and his red nose.

"I feel fine." Troy said but sneezed again.

"You probably got a cold from waiting too long near the stupid ice rink." Gabriella said, concerned and stood up. "I am going to make you some tea."

When Gabriella go back to the living room with a cup of very hot tea, she put it on the coffee table and went over to Troy who was sprawled on the couch. She wanted to shake his so he would wake up but as soon as she touched him, Gabriella gasped out.

"What?" Troy croaked out, barely able to open his eyes.

"You are burning up Troy!" Gabriella said and ran to the bathroom to get the thermometer and a cold, wet towel. Setting everything up for Troy, Gabriella went to leave but Troy's hand shot up and caught hers to stop her from getting up.

"Don't go anywhere, stay by my side…" he said, clearly slowly dozing off because of being sick.

"I am not going anywhere." Gabriella responded softly and sat down next to him.

"You can't go to Ryan…You can't go to Ryan…" he managed to mumble before completely falling asleep.

* * *

"Brie!" Troy yelled out and sat up straight, waking up from his sleep. He couldn't remember but he was sure he just had a nightmare and the cold sweat and panting were the proof.

"I am here!" Gabriella exclaimed and walked to him with a steaming bowl.

"Ok…" Troy sighed out and lied back down.

"No way mister! Sit right back up! I made you some soup so you better get up and eat it." Gabriella shook her head and put the chicken soup on the table in front of him.

"I want to go camping." Troy said suddenly, not even looking at the soup.

"Hell no! You know how sick you are?" Gabriella snorted out.

"Why not? I want to go camping! Besides I am not sick anymore! See?" Troy argued back and stood up to jump around to prove to Gabriella he was perfectly fine to go camping and thus finish the stupid Phase 4.

"Fine, but only if you finish your soup." Gabriella rolled her eyes and negotiated in a strict voice like a mother with her child that wanted to watch cartoons rather than eat his vegetables on the dinner plate.

"Yes!" Troy pumped his fist in the air and quickly sat down eat the soup as fast as he could, probably burning his tongue in the process but he didn't care. Gabriella just watched with wide eyes how the whole bowl of soup disappeared before her eyes in a record time.

* * *

It was way too late to go somewhere camping so after another round of negotiation, Gabriella compromised with Troy and set up a camp in the backyard by the small bay they had there.

"Brie, will you marry me?" Troy suddenly said out of blue when they were both lying on their backs, gazing at the stars. Gabriella's head immediately turned to Troy and she looked at him. He, however, was keeping his eyes on the midnight sky.

"That wouldn't be possible." Gabriella answered and this time, Troy's eyes immediately fell on her.

"But why?" Troy asked, his heart slowly breaking.

"Because we are already married…" Gabriella said softly and took out a necklace from under her t-shirt that had their wedding ring there. Looking at it, Gabriella smiled and turned it around in her finger. "You know, I used to wonder if out marriage was real or if it was a lie…" she began.

"Brie…" Troy wanted to cut it but she shook her head.

"No, Troy you made it real by making me so happy…" she admitted and slightly blushed.

"You know, there was a time when I doubted being able to protect you, I thought so much about it and I thought I was going to go crazy." Troy also admitted and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Thinking about you constantly, worrying about you…and missing you," Troy swallowed tightly, "I…I was really hurting you know. Loving someone hurts, but it's not something I can stop. Going to you…I cant stop that." This time, Troy sat up and Gabriella followed in suit. Looking straight into her eyes, Troy swallowed again. "Gabriela, I love you. I love you so much. As much as the entire universe exploding, as much as the waters in every ocean drying, as much as the sand in the deserts. I love you very much." Ok so maybe he wasn't the most poetical person in the whole world, but give him some credit, he was trying. "Gabriella Bolton, I love you so much." He said, sincerity shining through his clear, electrifying eyes. Gabriella didn't say anything, she didn't know what to say and even if she wanted to, she wouldn't be able to because of the big lump in her throat. Looking at the man in front of her, she tried to communicate her answer through her eyes.

"Why aren't you saying anything? I said I love you." Troy frowned and Gabriella rolled her eyes. So maybe she wasn't so good with talking with her eyes, or he just really sucked at reading people's eyes. Instead, Gabriella decided for action and leaned in to kiss him softly. Pulling away, she smiled and Troy just leaned in again, this time kissing her with more passion, his confession translating into body language.

* * *

Opening her eyes, Gabriella squinted at the sunlight that was shining right into her face and blinding her momentarily. Why was the light so intense? And why the heck were the birds so loud? She felt like as if they were right above her. Looking around confuse, Gabriella suddenly felt something in her palm that she was unconsciously clutching very hard. Opening her palm, Gabriella found a small necklace with a key as the pendant, with a small heart next to it. Turning it around, she found an inscription on it and smiled.

_This is the key to my heart. Please don't lose it, there are no spares. _

Suddenly everything flooded back to her mind. The camping, the talking, the kissing…everything… thinking back about it, made Gabriella smile like an idiot and she turned around, finding Troy still sleeping next to her on the ground, completely wrapped in the blanket. So they did camp out and night…

Crawling to him, Gabriella leaned down and slowly kissed his lips. God, she really enjoyed doing that. While she carried on with her enjoyable task, she felt Troy slowly stirring and waking up from his slumber.

"Morning wildcat." Gabriella said with a soft but loving smile. She felt different this morning. She didn't know what it was but she felt that they were different too. Nothing was going to be as before. Besides, she didn't use that nickname for him for a long time. Not since she was alone in his old room…

Slowly looking around, Troy locked eyes with her and suddenly blushed, remembering everything from the previous night. Quickly covering his face with the blanket, Troy turned away from her, hearing Gabriella laugh out loud.

"Troy, what are you doing?" she giggled and tried to take the blanket off of his face.

"Let me sleep." Troy mumbled out from underneath his protection shield.

"No…" Gabriella hit him playfully. Suddenly she gasped. "Is the high and mighty Troy Bolton suddenly shy and embarrassed?" she said and giggled again loudly.

"No!" Troy immediately turned to her. "I am not shy or anything like that at all! That is stupid!" he huffed out.

"The lady doth protest too much methinks...." Gabriella said in a sing songy voice.

"You are stupid." Troy crossed his arms and pouted like a five year old and Gabriella laughed again, causing Troy to playfully push her so she fell back. No, she was wrong, they were still the same old Troy and Gabriella Bolton and nothing would change that…ever.

~yOu aRe my sUnshiNe my oNly sUnshIne  
yOu mAke mE haPpy wHeN sKieS aRe gReY  
yOu nEvEr kNoW jUsT hOw mUcH i LoVe yOu  
pLeaSe dOn'T takE my sUnshInE aWay~

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**A/N: Ahhhh this is sad! It has ended! But don't you worry, there two good news! **

**One: There is going to be a short epilogue to the story...so technically it is not over yet...haha but it's going to be really short just a filler to the missing parts. **

**Two: Our new story will be coming out so look out for that....we shall give you the summary now...would you like that? :P**

**Coffee Prince**

**The life of Gabriella Montez is not easy; she works many jobs to pay off debts and even gave up her feminine image. Troy Bolton is the heir of a big food company, but his grandmother wants him to settle down, so she arranged many dates for him. After Gabriella bumped into Troy and was mistaken for a boy, Troy decided to hire Gabriella to be his gay lover in order to avoid the arranged dates. Desperately in need of money, Gabriella had no choice but to accept. Troy's grandmother also made Troy in charge of a filthy coffee shop in danger of being bankrupt. Gabriella begs to work at the coffee shop, and not long after, feelings start to spark, except, how would Troy accept his "homosexuality"?**

**Hope you will like it and give us the same response as for House Rules! 3 Now, for the last time, we have three questions for you from the chapter: **

**1) What was that about Troy Bolton making an illegal u-turn and bumping into someone? (true story?)**

**2) What movie was Troy thinking about with Robert Pattinson? (and no, it is not any of the Twilight ones :P)**

**3) Lastly, where does Gabriella's last sentence come from? **

**REVIEW! xoxo**


	38. Epilogue

**A/N: Hey! yes...we know...this is SO damn LATE! and our next story is not out yet! WHAT HAPPENED? **

**WE ARE SOOO SORRY! it's just...laziness...yeaaa, the truth...we got too carried away with summer on the beach so we didnt feel like writing. Then we found out we have SUMMER HOMEWORK from school which we need to do even though school starts in 2 weeks and we havent done ANYTHING! soooo sorry!**

**No more talking...this is the epilogue and right after this...we are going and writing the next story...SO SORRY AGAIN!**

**Enjoy HOUSE RULES for the last time... :( SAD!**

**Disclaimer: We are SO gonna miss saying this but we do not own anything!**

**

* * *

Epilogue**

"Can you please stop that crying baby? It's you son!" Chad yelled out while placing a DVD back onto the shelf.

"So now he is only my son? He is a part of you too you know!" Taylor yelled back at him while trying to soothe the small bundle in her arms. Sighing, she looked around her and couldn't help but smile. The DVD shop they set up was quite a good business, their two months old son was the best thing that ever happened to them and even though it didn't seem like so at the moment, they were a happy family.

"Yes, when he is like this, he is only your son!" Chad smirked and walked towards them.

"Shut up Danforth or else you are gonna get it." Taylor threatened him playfully and mentally thanked the gods for making the baby quiet again.

"Oh really? And what is it that I would get?" Chad whispered close to her face, making Taylor blush and gasp slightly.

"Uhm…the…you know…" she mumbled out, her mind completely hazy from the close proximity the lips of her love were to hers.

"No I don't." Chad smirked at the effect he still had on his wife even though they have been together since he could remember. "Why don't you remind me?" he mumbled leaning in, careful not to squish the bundle of love in her arms.

"Stop right there Chad Danforth! I don't want my favourite nephew to be scarred for life!" A voice behind them yelled out making the two jump apart like teenagers caught by their parents.

"Gabriella! What a surprise!" Taylor called out and quickly handed her son to Chad.

"Yea, what an unpleasant surprise." Chad mumbled to the baby, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Oh, shut up." Taylor smacked him slightly over the head and went over to hug her best friend.

"I heard that Chaddie and don't you think I will let it slide." Gabriella said and returned her best friend's hug.

"Where is you hubby?" Taylor asked her looking around.

"Actually…" Gabriella began but the door opened again, revealing a breathless and slightly sweaty Troy Bolton.

"What the…" Taylor looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Don't ask…" Troy breathed out while trying to catch his breath.

"Well…mr. Hot shot here is popular once again and we cant even go out most of the time without fan girls chasing him so…yea…" Gabriella explained the situation to her friends who burst out laughing.

"Way to go bro!" Chad laughed out raising his free had to high five Troy who rejected him with a scowl.

"That is not funny Chad." Troy growled out and took deep breaths. "Who needs to pay for gym, if all I have to do is walk out of my house?"

"So, not that I am complaining or anything, but why are you guys here?" Taylor asked.

"Well, we thought we would stop by on our way to a press conference that is really near here, to see the cutest baby in the whole wide world and you two." Gabriella said and immediately took the baby out of Chad's hands and started gushing over him, causing Troy to roll his eyes but smile at the sight.

"Press conference huh?" Chad turned to Troy.

"Yea, since we wrapped up the movie and the premiere is in few days, I have to step out and talked about whatever has happened in the past few months you know…" Troy nodded, referring to all the drama and such that was in his life until quite recently.

"Right right…" Chad agreed and looked around. Suddenly smirking, he went to the back of the store and took something out. "Tell me Troy, is this accurate enough?" he asked, revealing a life sized card board cut out of Troy in his character from his new movie.

"What the hell?" Troy called out and Gabriella and Taylor burst out laughing.

"Well, considering the movie coming out and all, we have to do some promotion on our own too so people know they can buy and borrow the DVDs soon!" Chad explained in between his laughing fit.

"I think it looks great!" Gabriella chipped in, still laughing, causing Troy to glare at her.

"I think it is time for us to go, I still have to change and all…" Troy said, taking the baby out of Gabriella's arms and giving him back to Taylor. Nodding at Chad, he took Gabriella's hand and dragged her out of the shop.

"Wait, my bag!" Gabriella yelled out still laughing.

"You are unbelievable." Troy shook his head with out pout.

"And you are childish!" Gabriella replied and poked her tongue out at him.

* * *

"Mr. Bolton! Over here!"

"Mr. Bolton, look this way for me please!"

"Can we get one of you and your wife?"

There was yelling from every part of the huge conference room in the hotel. Troy felt overwhelmed, he knew he was popular again, but he really didn't expect this much people, it has been far too long since he had done something like this. Feeling a small hand slip into his, Troy closed his eyes and smiled slightly. A slight squeeze from Gabriella and he knew she was telling him that she will be by his side the whole time, to give him support and to just simply be there for him.

"Mr. Bolton will now be answering some of your questions." Norah, Troy's assistant said into the microphone and the whole room, immediately quieted down, except for the sounds of camera's flashing. Troy took a sip from the glass of water in front of him, looked at Gabriella and after he got a reassurance from her, he nodded at Norah, to proceed.

"Ok, you in the third row, red shirt." Norah picked out a random reporter.

"Mr. Bolton, I am Steve, Seventeen magazine. How do you feel about the fact that your wife has written the screenplay for this upcoming movie?" he asked and sat down, pen and paper ready and the recorder already put in place on the table before Troy's along with other ones from the very beginning.

"I believe Gabriella has a huge talent and that is why I took this role. I couldn't be more proud of her and besides, she would kill me if I didn't take it." He joked and winked at Gabriella who slightly punched him and blushed.

"Mr. Bolton! Amanda, People magazine. You have been through a lot in the past few months, how did you manage to get through it and cope with all the drama?"

"There were those who helped me. One bird in particular really helped me a lot." Troy answered and looked at Gabriella who felt like the red color on her cheeks was going stay there permanently.

"Suzanne, Ok Magazine. So is this it? Are you ready to settle down and not live the old life of Troy Bolton?"

"Uhm…" Troy rubbed the back of his neck and laughed slightly. "I would say that my old lifestyle was just my own way of looking for the right thing and now that I have found it, yes, I believe I am ready to settle down and focus on what is important to me."

"Does that mean no acting?"

"No" Troy shook his head. "Acting is a part of who I am and I love it, I will definitely carry on acting until I can…or until they kick me out of Hollywood anyway." He smiled.

"What are your plans for the near future?"

"As you probably know already, my movie is coming out so I will be busy promoting that and such. I am also already looking at few more scripts but nothing in particular. I also have to focus on repairing something I have done which is very important to me." Troy replied and squeezed Gabriella's hand again.

"Mark, TMZ. Are you going to be starring in the next installment of Spider-man."

"Uh, I don't know Mark, you tell me. But that would be definitely a great honor for me." Troy laughed and looked around for more questions.

* * *

"Can you bring this out onto the table please?" Gabriella handed Sharpay a bowl of vegetables.

"Yup, anything else I can carry?" Sharpay, dressed from head to toe in pink asked and looked around.

"Nope, I don't think so, can you just tell Troy to put down the beer and open the wine bottle?" Gabriella laughed slightly and bent down to get the chicken from the oven. Taking it out, Gabriella untied the apron around her waist and carefully brought out the main dish into the dining room. Not that Gabriella was much of a proper house wife, but Troy and she talked over few things and they decided that it would be best if they invited Ryan and Sharpay over for dinner so they could get on good terms and be friends.

"I was just telling Ryan about your surfing skills last weekend." Troy informed her while handing her a glass of wine.

"Oh please, don't even mention that thing to me." Gabriella called out and Sharpay giggled.

"I hear ya Gabi, I gave up on surfing the moment I found out putting sparkles on it would actually hurt me." She pouted, causing the whole table to laugh.

"Well, I think it is time for us to all go to the beach and teach you girls to surf properly." Ryan exclaimed. A wave of protests coming from the two women at the table was enough for him to shut up and eat the food in front of him.

"Ah, looks like we are out of wine." Troy said and picked up the empty bottle to show everyone.

"Let me go and get it then…" Gabriella went to stand up but Troy stopped her.

"No, let me go and get it. You already cooked." He winked and stood up.

"Awww, a true gentleman! Isn't that so cute!" Sharpay called out earning the retreating Troy to raise his hand and express what he thought of that.

"Now that's not very nice." Sharpay pouted.

"You know where you and your niceness can go Sharpay!" Troy called out from the kitchen which caused Gabriella to try her hardest to stifle her laughter and Ryan to choke on his chicken.

"Uh…honey?" Troy called out again.

"Yes? Is there a problem?" Gabriella called back, looking at the other two with slight worry in her eyes.

"I can't seem to find any wine!" Troy yelled out to which Gabriella just rolled her eyes.

"Looks like I have to get up after all." She mumbled and Sharpay smirked.

"Don't be there too long!" she teased and Ryan chuckled. The two looked at each other but quickly looked away. The table was silent and instead, the sound was coming out of the kitchen.

"_That was not there before!" _

"_It was! We always put wine bottles on the same place honey." _

"_Well, __**sweetheart **__it wasn't there when I was looking for it!"_

"_You are mistaken __**sugar-plum **__it was! You should look more carefully."_

"_I did __**pumpkin**__! I looked! It's not my fault I couldn't see it!"_

"_Maybe it's time for you to visit the doctor and do something about your eyes __**sweetie-pie**__!"_

"_My eyes are perfectly fine __**cupcake**__! I don't know who ran into a glass door yesterday!"_

"_Don't you dare bring that up! You know I couldn't see cause the sun was blinding me __**duckie**__!_

"Uhm…should we tell them that…" Ryan looked at Sharpay uncomfortably.

"Nah…just leave them to it! I am sure they will be don't soon." Sharpay smirked and continued listening to their bickering.

"If you say so…" Ryan said unsure. Feeling a pair of eyes on him, he looked at Sharpay.

"Are you jealous?" she asked straightforwardly.

"Uhm…" Ryan looked away and towards the kitchen door.

"You see, if you had come to me, you wouldn't feel that way." She said and smiled brightly as if nothing has happened when a slightly flushed Gabriella came in with a smiling Troy behind and a bottle of wine in his hand.

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**A/N: We know we do not deserve this...but REVIEW few last words for House Rules? :) xoxo**


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